A 125-year-old Queen Anne home on North Ballard Avenue will officially become Wylie's newest Recorded Texas Historic Landmark on Saturday, Aug. 29, capping a day that begins with a patriotic BBQ luncheon hosted by the Wylie Historical Society.
The free public ceremony starts at 2 p.m. at 405 N. Ballard Ave., where homeowners Tracy and Bob Lawson will unveil the state plaque on the EA and Lydia Housewright House. Light refreshments and tours of the home follow.
"As soon as we moved in, we started talking about getting a historical marker for the house," Tracy Lawson told the Murphy Monitor. "We read that another family had tried in the past, so we assumed it would be difficult."
The couple purchased the home in October 2020 and are its 21st owners. Lawson said the process required several trips to the courthouse to document the house's exact age and compile a complete ownership history. The Texas Historical Commission awards the Recorded Texas Historic Landmark designation to buildings at least 50 years old that are judged historically and architecturally significant; it carries legal protection requiring owners to notify the state before altering the exterior.
The Housewright House is the second-oldest home in Wylie's historic downtown, according to the Wylie Historical Society. It joins a cluster of landmarks on North Ballard Avenue: the Thomas and Mattie Brown House at 301 N. Ballard (designated 1992), the Brown Cottage at 100 W. Jefferson St. (2017) and the Gallagher House at 415 N. Ballard (2019).
The Housewright family figured prominently in early Wylie. E.A. Housewright owned the barber shop site at 119 N. Ballard Ave. in 1887, and relatives ran grocery and feed-and-grain businesses downtown.
Celebrate America 250 BBQ Luncheon
Before the plaque ceremony, the Wylie Historical Society's Celebrate America 250 BBQ Luncheon kicks off at 11 a.m. at St. Anthony's Catholic Church's Pondant Hall, 404 N. Ballard Ave., directly across the street.
Tracy Lawson, who serves as curator of the Brown House Welcome Center and public relations liaison for the society, delivers the keynote on turning family letters, journals and lore into historical novels. She has written six novels featuring women patriots of the American Revolution and has been a member of the National Society Daughters of the American Revolution for 35 years.
Every ticket holder receives a signed copy of one of Lawson's "Ladies of the Revolution" novels, courtesy of literacy sponsor Frost Bank of Wylie.
The program also features a demonstration of 18th-century women's fashion by Jen Thompson and Beth Klimek of the DFW Costumers Guild, a patriotic outfit and hat contest, door prizes and a silent auction with items from local merchants.
Tickets are $50 for adults and $15 for children attending with a parent. Space is limited. Proceeds benefit the Wylie Historical Society, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit established in 2011.
Tickets and details are available at wyliehistoricalsociety.org.
Coming up
After the plaque ceremony, visitors can walk to the free America 250 exhibit at the Brown House Welcome Center, 301 N. Ballard Ave., open Tuesday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., and Saturday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
