The Fulton Mansion State Historic Site is located in

Fulton Fulton may refer to: People * Robert Fulton (1765–1815), American engineer and inventor who developed the first commercially successful steam-powered ship * Fulton (surname) Given name * Fulton Allem (born 1957), South African golfer * Fult ...

on the Texas Gulf Coast, in the county of Aransas, in the

U.S. state In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its sove ...

Texas Texas (, ; Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2020, it is the second-largest U.S. state by ...

. It is one of the earliest

Second Empire Second Empire may refer to: * Second British Empire, used by some historians to describe the British Empire after 1783 * Second Bulgarian Empire (1185–1396) * Second French Empire (1852–1870) ** Second Empire architecture, an architectural styl ...

style buildings constructed in

and is one of the most important of the style in the

Southwest United States The Southwestern United States, also known as the American Southwest or simply the Southwest, is a geographic and cultural region of the United States that generally includes Arizona, New Mexico, and adjacent portions of California, Colorad ...

still in existence. Colonel George Ware Fulton and Harriet Gillette Smith began building the 4 story structure overlooking Aransas Bay in 1874 and finished in 1877. The residence, dubbed "Oakhurst" by its owners George & Harriet, featured the most up-to-date conveniences for the time, such as indoor plumbing reaching sinks in every bedroom, gas lighting and central heating, along with three bathrooms and two built-in copper tubs. Joe and Lillian Davidson owned the mansion from 1907 to 1943. In 1952 the May family bought the house, planted the palms still in front of the house, and turned the grounds into an RV park. Felix and Gladys Boldin bought the property in the early 1960s and continued to run the RV park, selling it in 1969 to the Copelands, who also ran the RV park until Mr. Copeland died in 1974. Mrs. Copeland sold the dilapidated house to the state in 1976. The mansion was added to the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic ...

in 1975. When the State of Texas purchased the mansion and it was restored and opened to the public in 1983. On January 1, 2008, Fulton Mansion was transferred from the

Texas Parks and Wildlife Department The Texas Parks & Wildlife Department (TPWD) is a Texas state agency that oversees and protects wildlife and their habitats. In addition, the agency is responsible for managing the state's parks and historical areas. Its mission is to manage ...

to the

Texas Historical Commission The Texas Historical Commission is an agency dedicated to historic preservation within the state of Texas. It administers the National Register of Historic Places for sites in Texas. The commission also identifies Recorded Texas Historic L ...

and is now operated as the Fulton Mansion State Historic Site. From early 2013 through the fall of 2015 the house underwent a second, intensive restoration.

References

External links

Fulton Mansion State Historic Site website
Texas state historic sites Houses on the National Register of Historic Places in Texas Museums in Aransas County, Texas Historic house museums in Texas Second Empire architecture in Texas Houses completed in 1877 Houses in Aransas County, Texas National Register of Historic Places in Aransas County, Texas Recorded Texas Historic Landmarks 1877 establishments in Texas {{Texas-struct-stub

See also

References

External links