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William Benjamin Munson (1846-1930) was born in Fulton County, Illinois. He was the first graduate of Kentucky’s Agricultural and Mechanical College (later, University of Kentucky) in 1869. He had moved to Texas by 1871, settling in Sherman and studying law. Munson later partnered with R.S. Stevens, general manager of the Missouri-Kansas-Texas railroad (M-K-T, or Katy), to buy land that would become the new railroad town of Denison. Munson had varied business interests in timber, real estate, banking and ranching. He served as president of the First National Bank of Denison. He organized Denison Power and Light Co. As well as a coal company and rail lines later bought by the Katy. Also an active civic leader, he donated more than 200 acres of land and money for park improvements to the growing city of Denison. Munson married Mary Ella Newton (1852-1951) in 1876. The couple lived first in Sherman, then in Denison, and had six children. In 1910, they retained St. Louis architect Otto David Schmidt, whom Munson had known for his work with various railroads including the Katy, to design a new home for the family on Morton Street. Schmidt designed a two-story brick and stone neoclassical home. Its design featured a curved portico supported by ionic columns, a Ludowici clay tile roof and a graceful porte-cochere on the east side. Construction began in 1912 by Michael Thorn; landscaping was done by lambert’s. The home features four bedrooms, a fully built-out attic and partial basement, and a detached carriage house later converted to a garage. Ownership of the home transferred to ben and Mary Ella’s daughter, Eloise, and after a few years outside the family in the 1970s, stewardship returned to the Munson family. RECORDED TEXAS HISTORIC LANDMARK – 2013 |
