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HISTORY
of the
Bradshaw-Killough Home
The Bradshaw-Killough home is
located at 345 E. Travis Street in La Grange, was directly across the street
from Travis Street Methodist Church which the family attended. The
original structure was built by General James Shannon Mayfield in 184?,
just a few years after Colonel John H. Moore established the town of
LaGrange which the Congress of the Republic of Texas designated as the
county seat of the new county of Fayette. Block 26 had been
purchased by Captain Jesse Burnham who in turn sold part of it to his
son-in-law, Jerome B. Alexander, who was killed in the Dawson Massacre
(9-14-1842). The remaining portion was sold to General James
Shannon Mayfield in 1841.
General Mayfield was born in Tennessee
November 1,
1809 and came to Texas in 1837. General Mayfield was instrumental
in the development of the history of Texas and the Fayette County
region. General Mayfield, after a
colorful and highly public life, died December 3, 1852 and his wife Mrs.
Sophia Crutcher Mayfield, died soon thereafter. Both were buried
underneath the huge oak which still stands in the front yard of their
former residence today. Four years later, the house was sold to
Rev. John Haynie who stipulated that the bodies must be removed from the
property, and the La Grange City Cemetery became their final resting
place.
Rev. Haynie eventually sold the Mayfield house to his
daughter and son-in-law, Sara Ellen and Amzi T. Bradshaw, a prominent
merchant and one of the eleven founders of The First National Bank of La
Grange. Bradshaw used the lumber of the original Mayfield
residence when he built a three story white stick-style Victorian
residence in 1886. It lacked the elaborate ornamental
"gingerbread" found on some of the similar homes of this
period, and was built of cypress wood which had been purchased and laid
to cure a year earlier on the premises. It was insulated with
cottonseed hulls-an unusual procedure for two reasons: first,
homes usually were not insulated in the 1800's, and second, if they were
insulated, cotton seed hulls were not the normal insulation materials. But
Amzi T. Bradshaw, who had a mill that pressed the oil out of
cottonseed, determined this was a great way to get rid of the waste products which
were usually burnt. When the son-in-law, John Killough remodeled
the home in 1924, he found them to be practically "as good as
new," so they remain today in virtually the same state as when the
materials were installed.
Most of
the glass in the house is 1800 hand blown French Quinn. The house
boast of a beautiful pigeon blood red stain glass above the the main
door. It is said that this was done to ward off evil spirits and keep the
house safe. Another story related to the red glass above the door
was shared by a restoration expert. The red glass was called
"pigeon blood red" which was a very expensive glass for the
day and time the house was built. It was told that if the owner
had plenty of money and chose not to put extensive stain glass
throughout the house, he used the red to communicate to the community
his ability to afford whatever he wished but chose not to spend
money for more stain glass.
Four marbleized slate
fireplaces adorn the rooms while the house boast of four
stairways. The main stairway which is very ornate in true
Victorian style is said to have been shipped from New Orleans.
This stairway was purchased and shipped to La Grange after being entered
into a contest at the New Orleans World's Fair and purchased by Mr.
Bradshaw. The home has been a boarding house during the late
1800's and early 1900's until 1908 when John Killough bought the house
and lot from his mother-in-law, Sara Ellen Haynie Bradshaw so that she
would continue to have some income. Mrs. Bradshaw lived with them
until her death in 1941, a total of more than forty-five years. When
John and Nellie Killough moved into the Bradshaw house, their children
Charlie, Nellie Lee (named after General Robert E. Lee), and Tabitha
Annette (named after her grandmother Tabitha Moore Killough), were 15,
13, 9 respectively.
Time progressed and the
Killoughs, along with the house underwent many changes. In 1924,
with the approach of Nellie Lee's wedding to her soon to be husband Pat
Mulloy, the Killough home underwent some extensive remodeling. An
architect, D.A. Lovell of Waco, Texas, was commissioned in 1924, to
remodel the house with stucco in the style it shows today. The
interior was to be "modernized" with plumbing and
electricity. The wood frame exterior of the house was stuccoed and
shallow flat and pointed arches appeared around the porch and front
entrance while the walls were capped by battlemented parapets. A
second floor porch extending across the front of the house was removed,
and a smaller porch was added at the front door facing Travis
Street. A Porte cochere was added at the main entrance, facing
Madison Street, and a double garage was added at the rear of the
house. Nellie Bradshaw Killough died in 195?, and John H. Killough
died in 1964, leaving Miss Velna Dippel, caretaker of the family for
many years, to look after the house, garden, and grounds. She
continued to live in the house until 1979 when she moved to Fort Davis
in West Texas to become caretaker for the Killough daughter, Nellie lee
and her husband Pat Mulloy. It was about two years later that the
Mulloys sold the house to Mr. and Mrs. Lee Mueller of La
Grange.
A comprehensive restoration
was undertaken with the intention of returning the residence to its
former 1924 state, however the removal of the stucco to its 1886 state
would have been cost prohibitive. A metal roof was built over
the wood shingles which had deteriorated, the stucco was patched and
repainted. A 1930 painting of the house indicated rust colored
awnings. These were restored in the original locations. New
wiring, plumbing and central air conditioning and heating were added. No
structural changes were made.
Ornate cast iron hinges and
door hardware from the original house built in 1886 were cleaned and
brass plated to preserve the base metal. Original brass light
fixtures were cleaned, polished, rewired and reused, including a crystal
chandelier over the dining table. Beaded wood in the kitchen,
upstairs ante-room and family dining room were repainted. Special
care was taken in recreating the interiors of the house from its earlier
times.
In addition, the hallway
under the main stairwell has been set aside as a special
Bradshaw/Killough archives where pictures of Colonel and Mrs. Amzi
Bradshaw, Mr. and Mrs. John H. Killough and their three children,
Charlie, Nellie Lee, and Tabitha Annette and Captain and Mrs. Ira G.
Killough, John Henry Killough's parents, are displayed. Also
displayed for viewing are the three drawings by architect D.A. Lovell,
and a photograph of the Bradshaw residence as it appeared prior to
1924.
In November of 2000, the
Bradshaw-Killough house began a new chapter. Purchased by Brenda
and Dan Gilmore, the
house began a new era of the wonderful bed & breakfast named
appropriately "Brendan Manor". Brendan Manor acquired
it's name from Brenda and Dan being combined to Brendan Manor. A special place for very special people.
With five distinct guest rooms each with private baths, Brendan Manor is equipped
to facilitate your next event or gathering. Come share the history
and the pleasure of Brendan Manor and walk among the century old oak trees and
relive days gone by. Brendan Manor is truly "One of the Best
Little B & B's in Texas".
Our
Favorite Stays
 rendan Manor
345 East Travis - La Grange, TX 78945
Toll Free: 1-866-658-1100
Gift
Certificates Available - Ask the Innkeeper
Call 866-658-4400 or
stay@brendanmanor.com
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