Williams-Atkinson Homestead Historical Marker, ValVerde, Milam, TX

Williams-Atkinson Homestead

Maysfield, TX

NOTE: Could not locate with these directions:
From SH36/US190:
1.5 mi E on SH 485, S on CR 255

This house, built in 1893, was the vision of Thomas

Herbert Williams, a South Carolina native and

descendant of Rhode Island founder Roger Williams, and

his wife Emma (Massengale). An officer in the Palmetto

Sharpshooters of the Confederate Army, he left his home

state shortly after the Civil War and arrived in Milam

County in 1866. Williams became a prosperous landowner

in Texas, accumulating approximately 5,000 acres over

time. He was a major cotton producer in the central

Texas region and built his own cotton gin. Thomas and

Emma made plans to build a residence at this site, but

he passed away before its completion. She finished the

homestead in 1893 and successfully ran the farm and

household. Eldest daughter Amelia Worthington Williams

subsequently raised her four sisters following Emma's

death in 1897; all five received college degrees.

Amelia studied history at the University of Texas,

where she earned a doctorate, becoming an authority on

the Battle of the Alamo. Her research provided the

names of the defenders later memorialized at the San

Antonio shrine. Another Williams daughter, Harriett

Emily, married Hubert Leland Atkinson, who assumed

management of the estate after Emma's death. Family

descendants have since continued to manage and maintain

the historic property for well over a century. The

Williams-Atkinson House features Folk Victorian styling

with a modified two-story gable front and wing plan,

assymetrical façade, and double gallery porches on the

front and rear. Other details include cutaway bays on

the front and side elevations, spindlework friezes and

jigsawn corner brackets and balustrades.

Recorded Texas Historic Landmark - 2006