Cuero in DeWitt County, Texas — The American South (West South Central)
The Bates-Sheppard House
Photographed by Dave W, March 12, 2022
1. The Bates-Sheppard House Marker
This structure was built principally of lumber salvaged from ruins of the Indianola home of Morgan steamship Captain Henry Shepard (1826-1879). After a hurricane destroyed Indianola in August 1886, the late captain's son-in-law, Francis Walter Bates (1854-1930), shipped the salvaged materials here by rail and reconstructed the house on this site. Completed in the fall of 1886, it was occupied by Bates, his wife Elizabeth Sheppard Bates (1857-1904), her sister Mrs. Jennie Sheppard Luther (1860-1938), and a brother Henry D. Sheppard (1870-1951).
Bates was a hardware merchant in Cuero, 1884 to 1930. He was a Mason, a Knight-Templar, and (1887 to 1914) a city Alderman greatly interested in the volunteer fire department.
H. D. Sheppard, for years the Cuero agent for the Southern Pacific Railroad, was a local business leader. After 1904 Mrs. Luther was mistress of the house. Another Sheppard brother, Joseph, with his wife, children, and grandchildren also frequented the house as part of the extended family.
Altered and enlarged in 1925, this Victorian house remained in the Bates-Sheppard family until 1968.
Erected 1978 by Texas Historical Commission. (Marker Number 5288.)
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Architecture
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Location. 29° 5.562′ N, 97° 17.202′ W. Marker is in Cuero, Texas, in DeWitt County. It is at the intersection of East Broadway Street (U.S. 87) and North McLeod Street, on the right when traveling west on East Broadway Street. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 312 E Broadway St, Cuero TX 77954, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in Hill Country. It is also in the American South. Globally, it is in North America, a Gulf of Mexico state, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once New Spain, the Republic of Texas, and one of the Confederate States of America.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: First Presbyterian Church of Cuero (about 500 feet away, measured in a direct line); James Norman Smith (about 600 feet away); Old Chisholm Trail Centennial Monument (about 700 feet away); General August C. Buchel (about 700 feet away); De Witt County Courthouse (about 800 feet away); First United Methodist Church of Cuero (about 800 feet away); DeWitt County War Memorial (approx. 0.2 miles away); St. Michael's Catholic Church (approx. 0.2 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Cuero.
Photographed by Dave W, March 12, 2022
2. The Bates-Sheppard House Marker
Credits. This page was last revised on December 8, 2022. It was originally submitted on November 29, 2022, by Dave W of Co, Colorado. This page has been viewed 409 times since then and 27 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on November 29, 2022, by Dave W of Co, Colorado. • Devry Becker Jones was the editor who published this page.
