By Texas Historical Commission
Located among the rolling hills surrounding the town of Meridian, the
Johnson-Bridges House was built
around 1860 upon a unique concept which was developed by its builder to
ameliorate the hot climate. It was
based on the plan of the dog-trot cabin, wherein two rooms were separated by a
breezeway, all under a
common roof. During the hot months, the prevailing breezes cooled the dog trot,
which opened to the east
and west.
However, rather than incorporating rectangular rooms, the builder employed
octagonal ones. To provide
efficient ventilation of the rooms, doors were placed in the sides facing the
breezeway, and in the north and
south sides of each room. Fireplaces were constructed on the extreme east and
west ends. In the two sides
flanking the fireplaces were situated windows with six-over-six sashes. The
sides which were oblique to the
breezeway contained window openings closed by wooden shutters swinging upon iron
hinges. Thus each of
the eight sides of each octagon has an opening of some type. Ceilings were high
to allow hot air to rise.
Other significance is apparent in the wall construction. Rather than using
the log construction that typified so
many dog trot cabins throughout the south, the builder employed lime concrete.
Above a stone foundation
which extended several inches beyond the wall line on both inside and out, the
walls were formed in layers
about twelve inches high. The bottoms of the forms were secured by nails driven
through the boards into 3/4
by 3/4 inch wooden strips located about twelve inches from the corners,
perpendicular to the faces of the
walls. These strips remained in place after the forms were removed and are still
visible today. The mixture
placed into these forms consisted of lime, sand, and large aggregate of broken
limestone. This building is one
of three known structures in the vicinity of Meridian incorporating this type of
wall construction, but is the
only remaining example.
Fireplaces were constructed of limestone laid in random ashlar pattern. On
the interior the facing, back, and
sides of the fireplace were comprised of carefully cut limestone slabs. Other
details of construction were
finely executed. Sashes were assembled with mortise and tendon joints secured
with wooden pegs. Muntins
were planed to delicate profiles, about three-eighths of an inch by one inch.
The cornice was boxed with a
seven inch projection. Shutters and doors were built with boards nailed to
horizontal cross members, each
with a diagonal brace.
The floor and roof constructions also are noteworthy. Floor joists are cedar
logs with the tops hewn flat to
receive one-by-six tongue and groove flooring. These joists are supported at the
centers of the rooms by large
logs extending east to west, and by the stone foundation of the perimeter. The
roof structure consists of
rough sawn joists and rafters. Shingles cover the roof; the original layer
appears to exist beneath several
additional layers. The ceiling is composed of thin tongue and groove beaded
boards.
Although simple in design, wooden fireplace trim adds to the character of the
interiors. Comprised of boards
about one inch thick, the design emulates pilasters supporting an entablature.
Although the date of construction is not known, a porch was placed along the
south side to protect the walls
from the hot sun and to provide a cool place for sitting during the evenings.
This simple frame construction
with shingled roof has since collapsed.
Additions of unknown dates were made to the dwelling. Walls covered with
clapboards were erected on the east
and west sides of the breezeway, enclosing another room; pairs of four-panel
doors provided access to this central
hall from the exterior. A two room addition of box and strip construction was
made to the west side of the south
octagon. Adjacent to the breezeway, two closets, triangular in plan were made on
southwest and northwest
sides of the octagonal rooms.
The Bridges-Johnson House is rare in both plan and construction technique.
Concrete octagonal rooms
flanking a breezeway are unique among the known extant buildings in Texas.
Although lime concrete was used
along the Gulf Coast prior to the Civil War, it was rare in the sparsely
settled, inland regions. Octagonal
forms for residences is practically unknown in Texas, unlike the northeastern
states, which can boast many
examples. The house represents an innovative local adaptation of a distantly
popular style.
At the time the house was erected the town of Meridian was only about six
years old. It had been laid out by
George B. Erath, an immigrant from Austria who had been prominent in Texas
military activities. However,
the town was not incorporated until 1874. Later in the century numerous
Norwegian immigrants settled in the
rural areas surrounding Meridian.
According to the Deed Records of Bosque County, W. H. Bridges purchased
thirty-six acres of land from
John Abbey for $146 in 1861. Bridges was a physician who had moved to Texas from
Georgia. In 1862 this
same acreage was sold to Alfred Fine and his wife, Rachel for the sum of $1100.
This increase in property
value indicates the construction of the double octagon house. The property then
changed ownership several
times before W.T. Johnson purchased it in 1882. The house remained in the
Johnson family until 1965 when
it was purchased by Jack Kirbey. Several years later the present owner, Richard
D. Bass, a wealthy oilman,
acquired the property.
Possibly the builder of the unusual dwelling was familiar with octagonal
buildings elsewhere in the state of
Texas as well as the United States. Orson Squire Fowler, a Phrenologist, made
the octagonal mode known
through his 1848 book, Home for All, or a New Cheap, Convenient, and Superior
Mode of Building. In this
volume, octagonal construction was described. In addition, walls formed with a
mixture of water, lime, gravel,
and sand were described in the latter volume, similar to the type used in the
double octagon near Meridian.
Within the state, other examples of the octagonal mode appeared in the
president's house Baylor University,
Independence, and in the Tarrant County Courthouse of 1876 in Fort Worth.
Neither of these buildings exist
today.
BIBLIOGRAPHY ON FILE IN THE NATIONAL REGISTER
County Coordinator:
Gayle Triller
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