ABSTRACT Recovering Provenance: Historic Preservation in Waco 1953-1980 Mark Robert Browning, M.A. Committee Chairperson: Kenneth C. Hafertepe, Ph.D. The means and methods of preservation and restoration are a part of a historic house‟s history, and thus becomes an important part of its provenance. This thesis examines the background stories of the Historic Waco Foundation houses and the Earle- Harrison House in one essay. It considers the influence of historic precedents on a state and local level. It brings to the forefront major benefactors to preservation in Waco, some of whom were either absent or casually mentioned in earlier articles. It demonstrates how both the pilgrimage traditions and the governing structures that were established affect the operation of the houses today. Finally it documents how some of the organizations combined together to benefit from a new source of funding, and the results of that merger. Recommendations for future studies are made in the conclusion. Recovering Provenance: Historic Preservation in Waco, 1953-1980 by Mark Robert Browning, B. A., M.A. (R. E.) A Thesis Approved by the Department of Museum Studies ___________________________________ Kenneth C. Hafertepe, Ph.D., Chairperson Submitted to the Graduate Faculty of Baylor University in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Master of Arts Approved by the Thesis Committee ___________________________________ Kenneth C. Hafertepe, Ph.D., Chairperson ___________________________________ Thomas L. Charlton, Ph.D. ___________________________________ James E. Barcus, Ph.D. Accepted by the Graduate School May 2010 ___________________________________ J. Larry Lyon, Ph.D., Dean Page bearing signatures is kept on file in the Graduate School. Copyright © 2010 by Mark Robert Browning All rights reserved TABLE OF CONTENTS ACKNOWLEDGMENTS ................................................................................................. vi DEDICATION .................................................................................................................. vii CHAPTER ONE ................................................................................................................. 1 Introduction ..................................................................................................................... 1 Historic Preservation in Waco 1953-1980................................................................... 1 CHAPTER TWO ................................................................................................................ 6 Texas, the Preservation State .......................................................................................... 6 San Antonio ................................................................................................................. 6 Houston ...................................................................................................................... 12 Galveston ................................................................................................................... 14 Dallas ......................................................................................................................... 15 Fort Worth ................................................................................................................. 18 State Organizations .................................................................................................... 21 CHAPTER THREE .......................................................................................................... 24 Historical Precedents in Waco ...................................................................................... 24 CHAPTER FOUR ............................................................................................................. 33 Personalities .................................................................................................................. 33 Roger Conger ............................................................................................................. 33 Margaret Barclay Megarity ....................................................................................... 35 Frances Higginbotham Duncan Nalle ........................................................................ 38 Lavonia Jenkins “Bobbie” Barnes ............................................................................. 40 Eleanor Fay Jurney Pape ........................................................................................... 43 Raiford Stripling ........................................................................................................ 50 CHAPTER FIVE .............................................................................................................. 57 The Fort House .............................................................................................................. 57 CHAPTER SIX ................................................................................................................. 67 Earle Napier Kinnard .................................................................................................... 67 CHAPTER SEVEN .......................................................................................................... 79 Heritage Society of Waco ............................................................................................. 79 iv CHAPTER EIGHT ........................................................................................................... 88 East Terrace: The J. W. Mann House and the Thomas Mann House ........................... 88 CHAPTER NINE ............................................................................................................ 109 Pilgrimage Comes to Waco ......................................................................................... 109 CHAPTER TEN.............................................................................................................. 124 Earle-Harrison ............................................................................................................. 124 CHAPTER ELEVEN ...................................................................................................... 135 Historic Waco Foundation Begins .............................................................................. 135 CHAPTER TWELVE ..................................................................................................... 143 The McCulloch House and Conclusion ...................................................................... 143 Conclusion ............................................................................................................... 147 BIBLIOGRAPHY ........................................................................................................... 150 v ACKNOWLEDGMENTS The writer wishes to thank Dr. Kenneth Hafertepe for his encouragement in this work, Dr. James Barcus and Dr. Thomas Charlton for their suggestions, and Dr. Ellie Caston, the director of the Mayborn Museum. Also I would like to thank the staff of the Texas Collection, the Waco-McLennan County Library, the Historic Waco Foundation, and the G. H. Pape Foundation for their invaluable research assistance. vi DEDICATION To the present and former staff and students of the Baylor University Museum Studies program, Strecker Museum and the Mayborn Museum Complex; and especially to my parents, Robert and Helen Browning, who would rejoice to see this day vii CHAPTER ONE Introduction Historic Preservation in Waco 1953-1980 This thesis will consider the history of historic preservation in Waco, focusing specifically on preservation during the period from 1953, when the Heritage Society of Waco began, through 1980 when the McCulloch House was dedicated as the first acquisition of the Historic Waco Foundation. The McCulloch House was donated to Historic Waco Foundation in 1976, and restoration was completed in 1980.1 Although the term “historic preservation” could refer to the preservation of the documents of Waco‟s past, this essay will consider the efforts to save some of the notable houses of the community as this seemed to be focus of civic-minded individuals. The Heritage Society of Waco in its mission acknowledged the importance of establishing a written record of Waco history. However the scholarly arm of the Society was soon overshadowed by the ambitions to save something tangible for the town, that something being at least one house belonging to the Mann family. Once that became the emphasis the bulk of Heritage Society of Waco funds went toward that end.2 Following that precedent, reservation efforts were directed toward homes of prominent individuals in Waco history, 1 The Hoffman house was donated to the HWF, and is discussed after the McCulloch house in this paper, but it can be categorized as an example of adaptive reuse of a building. 2 Oral Memoirs of Robert Earl Davis, December 11, 1985, Waco-McLennan County Project, Baylor University Institute for Oral History, Texas Collection. Baylor University, Waco TX, 1987, 4. 1 rather than toward preservation efforts of public buildings like the McLennan County Courthouse. The Heritage Society of Waco was not the only organization involved in preservation during this time. The recently-formed Junior League of Waco became enamored with the preservation of Fort House, but as the League‟s attention faded, members who began the effort formed its own group, The Society for Historic Preservation. The drive