Bryan-Weems House - East Columbia Historic District - East Columbia, TX - NRHP Historic Districts - Contributing Buildings on Waymarking.com

The Bryan-Weems House is a modest vernacular interpretation of the Greek Revival style typical of the type built in Texas during the middle decades of the 19th century. Facing southeast onto Main Street, the dwelling is sheathed with wood siding and surmounted by side-gabled roof featuring composition shingles. Exterior brick chimneys rise above the ridgelinea at each gable end. An inset 2-tiered porch of 5 bays extends across the full width of the primary elevation. Detailed with square posts with molded caps, it features a balustrade on the second level. Single-door entrances with sidelights are centered between double-hung wood sash with 2/2 lights on both levels. The upper entrance also boasts a transom. Additions to the rear have resulted in an L-shaped configuration.

Historical Marker

Ariadne O. Gautier (1834-1910) came from Florida to this part of Texas in 1841 with her parents. Her father, Dr. Peter Gautier, Jr., joined other Texans in turning back an invading Mexican army in 1842. In 1855, Ariadne married Clinton Lucretius Terry, with whom she had four children. Terry, serving with Terry's Texas Rangers, died in the Civil War at Shiloh in 1862. Six years later, Ariadne wed William Tyler. Again widowed, she purchased property at this site in 1871. Records indicate she built the original part of this house within the next two years. She married a third time, to Henry H. Swymmer, in 1875.

Ariadne sold the property in 1897 to Frank Bowden Chilton (1845-1926), who had been a captain in Hood's Texas Brigade. In 1900, he gave the property to Mary Louise Chilton (1877-1973), his daughter by his third wife, Ann (Briscoe). The property formally transferred on the date of Mary's marriage to Austin Y. Bryan (1863-1930), grandson of Stephen F. Austin's sister, Emily Austin Bryan Perry. The Bryans sold the house in 1919 to West Columbia hardware and mercantile store owner Sands Smith Weems, Sr. (1873-1961) and his wife, Nan (Pickett) (1880-1964). The Weems family retained ownership of the house until 2000.

The frame house was built in the Greek Revival style. Details include square posts with molded caps, as well as a balustrade on the second level. The house features an inset, two-tiered porch with five bays. The entries are accented by sidelights. The original structure was symmetrical and built on a rectangular plan. During their ownership, the Bryans built a two-story, ell-shaped addition to the back of the house, which serves as a model of 19th-century vernacular architecture