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One of the oldest homes of Wylie, the 1889 Brown Cottage was the first home in Wylie of businessman William Thomas Brown and Martha (Mattie) J. (Housewright) Brown. The Browns moved to Wylie shortly after its establishment in 1886 to help build the community. Brown was one of Wylie’s first developers with the Brown & Burns Addition Subdivision, filed for record in 1887. In that same year, Brown was voted as one of Wylie’s first Aldermen. He also ran a mercantile store that served the gulf, Colorado, and Santa Fe railroad and area farmers. In 1903 the Thomas and Mattie Brown Cottage, also known as the little white house, was moved from its original location on Ballard Avenue to its present location on the northeast corner of West Jefferson and North Jackson Avenue. This was in preparation for building the Browns a larger family home, called the Thomas and Mattie Brown House (designated a recorded Texas historic landmark in 1992). The Browns lived in the little white house for 16 years and then moved to the newer family home upon its completion in 1905. The cottage remained in the family until the Browns’ deaths, passing to their daughter Tennie L. Creel in 1926. When the Creels passed away in 1945, the estate was settled and Paul Pearson took ownership. He owned the cottage for a total of 49 years. Brown Cottage’s architecture is Folk Victorian with Carpenter Gothic detailing. Some of the features include cypress siding, a bay window, cross gabled roof, and an asymmetrical floor plan. Brown Cottage is one of the most prominent original residences still intact from when the town of Wylie was established in 1886. RECORDED TEXAS HISTORIC LANDMARK – 2017 |
