Atkinson House. 911 Walnut. One-story wood-frame dwelling; exterior walls with wood shingle siding; gable roof with composition shingles; exposed rafter ends with stick brackets; extended eaves; front elevation faces west; one interior and one exterior cobblestone chimney; wood-sash double-hung windows with 12/1 lights; two single-door entrances with transom; one-bay porch with gable roof inset within west elevation at south corner; tapered cobble-stone piers. Other noteworthy features include bungalow details; three-sided window bay on south elevation; etched-glass front door; transoms over windows on west elevation; shingled foundation skirt tapers outward; house is set back about 100 ft. from street. Outbuildings include two-story garage apartment with details similar to house, but with aluminum sash windows.

Primary area of significance: architecture. The most outstanding example of bungalow architecture in Georgetown. Built by Belford Lumber Co. for merchant C. B. Atkinson.

Marker Text
Belford Lumber Co. built this house in 1915 for real estate businessman Charles Byron Atkinson and his wife, Lilburn (Dimmit), daughter of a prominent local family. C.B. died at the age of 35, five years after its completion. Lilburn later remarried, continuing as owner of the home until 1976. An outstanding example of Craftsman bungalow architecture, the house features transoms, an inset porch with gabled roof, and cobblestone piers and chimney. Other noteworthy details include a three-sided window bay, bracketed eaves, a low overhanging roofline and a shingled foundation skirt. Recorded Texas Historic Landmark - 2006

also Recorded Texas Historic Landmark - RTHL Medallion

Atkinson House History 911 South Walnut Street

The Williamson County Sun reported in the February 13, 1920 issue that Charles Byron Atkinson passed away on February 6th, 1920 after being stricken with Influenza. Affectionately known as "Barney" he is described as "big-hearted, sunny natured, robust of health and in the prime of manhood". He passed away while visiting his wife, the former Lilburn Dimmit who was recovering from a prolonged illness in a sanatorium located in San Antonio. The family tragedy was made worse by the fact that his wife could not attend the funeral held on the northbound M.K.& T. train on the Sunday following his death. Born on January 5th 1885 in Florence, Texas, C. B. Atkinson moved to Georgetown with his parents while still quite young. He died a month and a day beyond his 35th birthday, before he had the opportunity to leave a substantial mark on the Georgetown business community. His wife Lilburn remarried and lived on in the house until 1976. According to Williamson County deed records she sold several pieces of property in downtown Georgetown in the late seventies. It is interesting to note that C.B. Atkinson occupied the house for only five years before his untimely death in 1920. The couple had no children.

According to an article published in the December 12, 1997 issue of the Williamson County Sun, "Lily" sold the house to the Vaclaviks in 1976 and was at that time 87 years old. She is reported in the same article to have passed away five years after the sale of the house. If this information is correct she was born in 1889 and died in 1981 at the age of 92. In the same article C. B. Atkinson is described simply as a businessman.

The builder of the Atkinson home was attributed to Charles Sanford Belford. Mr. Belford was the subject of a biographical sketch written by Clara Sterns Scarbrough in cooperation with the Georgetown Heritage Society and the Mood Museum at Southwestern University. This is one of several biographical sketches produced about persons that have been important to the Georgetown community. It is printed as a separate leaflet titled "Hall of Honor Historical Sketch, Charles Sanford Belford", available from the library at Southwestern University. The following comments are drawn from this source.

C. S. Belford was born on February 15, 1857 in Newark, Ohio and died on February 18 1929 in Georgetown. He worked briefly in Albuquerque, New Mexico before moving to Texas. He settled in Georgetown where in 1882 he purchased a lumber company that was to bear his name In 1901 he organized the Georgetown Ice Factory and Bottling Works and was a stockholder in the Georgetown Oil Mill. In 1906 he was made vice president of the First Nat'l. Bank and remained on the Board until his death. Regardless of other entrepreneurial efforts his principal claim to fame came as a result of his expertise as a builder. In addition, to numerous fine residences, modest homes, rural schools, and carriage houses he was responsible for larger structures such as the First Methodist Church, the Masonic Temple and Mood Hall at Southwestern University. He enjoyed a reputation for high quality work. The saying was, " if Belford built it, it's basically in good condition".

On page 10 of the National Register for Historic Places Inventory Nomination Form available at the Georgetown Public Library is a comment that ties Belford's skill with the Atkinson home. "Bungalow style dwellings emerged as a strong force in the1910s­1930s. Gifted and versatile builder Belford understood this particular form well. He demonstrated his expertise with near precision at the Atkinson House at 911 Walnut Street, showing his ability to craft a bungalow to a suitable scale, compose the various elements into a harmonious design, and utilize materials and finishes for emphasis."