Thomason-Scott House - Era, TX
N 33° 29.709 W 097° 17.332
14S E 658957 N 3707491
Built in 1894 for Dr. Benjamin Richard Thomason, this beautiful Victorian home in Era, TX has seen few significant modifications over time, and is easily recognizable over a hundred years since it was constructed.
Waymark Code: WM123VQ
Location: Texas, United States
Date Posted: 02/20/2020
Views: 0
The Thomason-Scott House is in the 7000 block of FM 922, about a half mile west of its intersection at FM 51 in the center of Era. It was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1980, and it is also a Recorded Texas Historic Landmark, with a 1978 Texas Historical Marker at the front door providing some background:
Erected in 1894, this structure was the home and office of Dr. Benjamin Richard Thomason (d. 1909), one of Era's first physicians. Dr. Thomason's son Robert Ewing (1879-1973) hauled lumber from Gainesville for the construction. Later he had a long public career, serving as a U.S. Congressman and Federal District Judge. The frame house has Victorian porch detailing and elegant interior woodwork. In 1948 the residence was acquired by the L. A. Scott Family.
The source of the "Then" photo is the National Register's Nomination Form, showing Dr. Benjamin Richard Thomason and his family in 1897. Click the link for a better photo of Dr. Thomason, and assuming that the oldest woman in the photo was his wife, this would have been Mary Thomason, his second wife. That's probably the future Judge Thomason as a young man at the left of the photo. The most recognizable difference between then and now is that the two chimneys have been removed, and there's a modern sidewalk between the house and the highway out front. Of course, the landscaping has changed.
The National Register notes the home's significance as being an example of a Victorian cottage that was once common across North Texas, with few significant modifications over the years. It is also important, as mentioned on the historical marker, because of its use as the home and office of the first physician (Dr. Benjamin Richard Thomason) in this part of the county, as well as having been the home of a prominent member of the United States Congress, Judge Robert Ewing Thomason. Judge Thomason attended law school at the University of Texas, and was elected County (now District) Attorney of Cooke County (1903-1907). After relocating to El Paso in 1912, he was elected to the Texas Legislature (1917-1921), and he served some of his term as Speaker of the Texas House of Representatives (1920-1921). He served as Mayor of El Paso from 1927 to 1931, and then as Representative of the Sixteenth District of Texas in the U.S. Congress from 1931 to 1947. During World War II, he was the second ranking member of the Military Committee of the House, playing an important part in shaping the military policy of the United States. He became U.S. District Judge for the Western District in 1947, serving in that role full time until assuming senior status in 1963, and continuing until his passing in 1973.