6626 Highway 6,
DeWalt Vicinity
Owner: Linda
L.S. Moroney,
Physical History:
1. Date
of Construction: Ca. 1900. The Dew Plantation home was built at the turn
of the century. The History of
Missouri City has noted that Dr. Hugh Saunders Dew built the house “around
1900.” The 1900
2. Architect: Not
known.
3. Original and subsequent owners, occupants,
uses: The Dew Plantation house has remained in the Dew family for over a
century. The plantation was originally
purchased by Dr. Hugh Saunders Dew, Henry Wise Dew, and George Lewis Dew from
their uncle Hugh Saunders in 1895. The
land was previously known as the Belvidere Plantation until the Dew Brothers
renamed it. It was occupied by Dew
family until Jessie Dew Agnew passed away.
Tenants occupied the house for several years, but it has remained vacant
for nearly five years.
4. Builder,
contractor, suppliers: None
known.
5. Original plans and construction: None.
6. Alterations and additions: The house has received several additions since it
was originally built. In the late 1920s,
the second-floor porch was enclosed, a new roof line was created, and two room
additions were made on the north and south sides of the house, the bar/game
room on the north and the sunroom on the south.
These changes exhibit elements of both the Colonial Revival and Southern Plantation
styles changed aspects of the house, so that the original architecture, fabric,
and feeling was transformed from the original Victorian. They also built a small ranch office off the
back of the house. Perpendicular to this
enclosure, an outdoor, screened-in patio was built. During the early 1960s, a large interior patio addition was built onto the
back of the house and another fireplace and chimney was added.
Historical Context:
Formerly of
In or about 1900, Dr. Hugh Saunders Dew built the
house on Hwy 6, possibly using salvaged materials from the house that burnt
down. One year later, the rest of the
family joined them from
In
1902, Dr. Dew gave up his medical practice in
The Dew Plantation home has stayed in the family
for over a century. After Henry, George,
and Frank Dew passed away, they left the land and the house to their sisters,
Jessie Dew Agnew and Ruth Dew Lalley, and sister-in-law, Mantie Veal Dew. Mantie passed away in 1958. After years of sharing the house and land,
Jessie and Ruth decided to split the property between them. Ruth received the land that is now Quail
Valley Subdivision, and Jessie received the land on the South side of Hwy 6,
where the Dew Plantation house now stands.
Having no children of her own, Jessie Dew Agnew passed the house and
land on to her niece, Jessie Dew Robinson Moroney. Mrs. Moroney then passed on the land to her
daughters, Muffie Moroney and June Moroney.
General Statement:
Architectural character: The
original plantation house was a 5-bay, “L”-shape, clapboard and wood frame,
2-story farmhouse. This later
regional derivation of the Southern Plantation Style had both Greek Revival
and late Victorian detailing. These
changes exhibit elements of both the
Colonial Revival and Southern Plantation styles changed aspects of the
house, so that the original architecture, fabric, and feeling was transformed
from the original Victorian
Condition of fabric: The
current condition of the Dew Plantation house is fair to deteriorating. It was been vacant for almost five years.
1. Overall
Dimensions: 69’-8” x 48’-5”
Foundations: Brick pier foundation
3. Walls:
Stud
framing with clapboard siding and 1x9 “shiplap” interior covered now in gypsum sheet rock
4. Structural
System: Wood stud framing
5. Porches, stoops, balconies, porticoes, and
bulkheads: The front porch was altered from its original form
during the late-1920s alterations. The
second story balcony located on the front of the house was enclosed and a
pediment was added when the roofline was changed. As shown by a historic photograph (early
1900s), three ionic columns supported the original porch and balcony. This Greek revival style was altered to
incorporate a more Victorian influence.
Chimneys: The house originally had two chimneys on the north
and south sides of the building. When
the roof height was remodeled in the 1920s, the height of the chimney was
extended as well.
7. Openings:
a. Doorways and doors: Originally, the house had a door on the first and second
floors on the front of the house. There
was also a side door entrance on the north side of the house, leading into the
mudroom. There was also a door on the back of the
house leading to the backyard.
8. Roof: The
“L” continued through to the front of the house to form a gable over the 5th
or northern most bay, an unusual configuration of this style and time. It should be considered a later
regional derivation of the
Description of Interior
Floor plans:
HABS measured drawings are
attached.
Stairways: The house has one stairway located in the front
entry hall.
3. Flooring:
On the
first floor, the flooring in the utility room, Kitchen/ Butler’s Pantry, and
Mudroom is sheet vinyl; the Patio
room is 12x12 terrazzo tile; the Formal Dining room, Study, Living room, and
Entry foyer is 2 3/8” heart pine, the ½ bath is ceramic tile; and the Bar room
has a random width wood floor in oak, 1x6 to 1x10 nominal (9” & 5 ½” board
width) with doweled nails. On the second
floor, the flooring in Bath #1 is a ceramic tile, 1x1 and 2x2 mosaic in a
pinwheel pattern; Bath #2 is 4x4 ceramic tile; the Master bath is a 4x4 ceramic
checkerboard; the sun porch #2 is 3 ¼” pine; Bedroom #1, Bedroom #4, Master sun
room, Master Bedroom, and Bedroom #3 is 2” oak; and Bed #2 is 2 ½” pine.
4. Wall
and ceiling finish: On the first floor, the
utility room has a 1x6 double V groove center match; ceiling same;
Kitchen/Butlers Pantry- Mud room- S wall (orig. ext. wall) lap siding exposed
5/8”x 4 ¼”- 4 ½” to weather; N, W, E
walls horizontal various widths of lapped boards; Patio room- walls (7” beaded
profile wood paneling) and ceiling (sheetrock); Formal Dining Room, Study,
Living room, Entry foyer - sheetrock wall and ceiling; ½ Bath- fabric walls and
ceiling, Bar room- random width wood panel walls with beaded profile, 1x6 to
1x10, ceiling 1x6 tongue and groove, double groove. On the second floor, Bed 1, Bed 2, Bed 3, Bed
4, Master sunroom, and Master bedroom all have sheetrock wall and ceiling; the
Sun porch #2, N wall (orig. ext. wall) has lap siding 4 ¼” to weather 5/8”
siding thickness, cypress, and the W & S walls lap siding 4 ½” to weather ½”
thick, and a 1x4 beaded board ceiling; Bath #1- 4x4 ceramic tile wainscot with
sheet rock above @ 55” and sheet rock ceiling and a 4x4 ceramic tile shower
wall @ 78”; Bath #2, 4x4 ceramic tile wainscot with sheet rock above @ 55” on
center and sheet rock ceiling; Master Bath- 4x4 ceramic tile wainscot with
sheet rock above @ 55” and sheet rock ceiling.
5. Openings:
Doorways and doors: The interior doors are all 4 panel -, rail and
style with raised panel construction” with surrounding wood molding. On the first floor, there are bi-fold doors
between the normal living room, family room, and the first floor sunroom. A
glass door that originally led from the upstairs hallway to the 2nd
floor porch is now being used as an entrance door into the master bedroom.
Windows: The original shuttered windows were adorned with
Greek revival detailing.
Decorative features and trim: There are still overlapping pieces of trim and
detailing from both the original Victorian and the present Colonial Revival
features of the house. The interior of the house is adorned with
crown moulding throughout the first floor.
Hardware: There are unusual, art deco-style hinges on the
doors between the hallway, living room, and dining room on the first floor.
Mechanical equipment:
Heating, air
conditioning, ventilation: The
house has partial central heat and air.
Lighting: The
house has electric lighting throughout.
Plumbing: The house has hot and cold running water. All bathrooms appear to have been added in
the later 1920s.
Unusual Features: A call bell was installed connecting the formal
dining room to the kitchen. The button
was located in the floor under where the formal dining room table sat.
Site
Historic Landscape design: Several
specimen trees on the site, cottonwood and oak trees date to when the house was
built. Originally, (name the source
pictures) banana trees flanked both sides of the house.
Outbuildings:
Behind the Dew House laid
several outhouses. A wood house, that no
longer stands, was the home of workers.
This was later replaced with a brick house, built for
Carter, Robert F. A
History of
City of
Dew
Imperial Sugar
Company. “The History of Imperial Sugar
Company.”
Kennedy, Lois. “
“
Potter, Charline. Houston and the Surrounding Area- A
Handbook.
Wharton, Clarence. Wharton’s
History of
Supplemental material:
family tree?
This report was
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