Houston House

Houston House. . David Henderson Houston was born in Glasgow, Scotland on June 14, 1841 and came with his farming parents to Cambria, Wisconsin. David entered the Dakota Territory in 1879 searching for farmland and chose a homestead and timber claim south of Hunter, North Dakota. His first home had been built with cheaper materials that blew down in a storm and killed a hired hand. Houston then had an elaborate storm shelter built with an elegant mansion constructed on top of it using stronger materials in 1886., The mansion featured maple floors, cherry and oak wainscoting, a walnut staircase, and ornamental ceilings. The home had a main front area for the Houston family and a back half with the kitchen and living quarters for the staff. This was the home David Houston brought his wife, Annie Laurie (Pencille) Houston to after their marriage in April 1888. They had one son, David Henderson Houston, Jr., born in 1889. Annie often traveled to Florida with young David in the winter while her husband stayed home and worked. David Houston was caught outdoors in the middle of a blizzard in 1906 while walking home from Hunter. He found shelter but the chill caused significant trauma and he died three months later. Annie and David Jr. continued living in the house, but later sold the farm and moved to Florida. The back half of the home was removed at some point and the main half was donated to Bonanzaville in 1971., (Captions) , David Houston Portrait , Houston House Exterior, ca 1880s