1895 Watkins Homestead
This home was built by the maternal grandfather of Mrs. Thomas, the founder of Millard's Crossing. In those days a man showed his love for a woman by building a well porch behind the house. The covered porch prevented the woman from getting wet as she drew water from the well during rainstorms. This home has a modern kitchen and is available as a rental facility for wedding receptions, business functions, and other special events.
The house reflects the common practice of modifying a much plainer existing house. This one began as a standard rectangular farmhouse with a breezeway through the middle. By adding a bay window parlor and front porch with gingerbread, it was “victorianized” into a more stylish home. The back porch well, common in this area because of the high water table of the Carrizo-Wilcox Sand Aquifer which can be tapped into from ten to twenty-five feet in most places, made it possible for the water source to be incorporated into the house plan.
The house reflects the common practice of modifying a much plainer existing house. This one began as a standard rectangular farmhouse with a breezeway through the middle. By adding a bay window parlor and front porch with gingerbread, it was “victorianized” into a more stylish home. The back porch well, common in this area because of the high water table of the Carrizo-Wilcox Sand Aquifer which can be tapped into from ten to twenty-five feet in most places, made it possible for the water source to be incorporated into the house plan.
