Heritage, Volume 10, Number 4, Fall 1992 Page: 17
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stead of the usual barrel vault. It is
a wonder that it survived into
modern times. Throughout the
restoration, Stripling was haunted
by the possibility that the detailed
plan of the installation drawn by
Adjutant Joseph M. Chadwick in
1836 would surface. The drawing
survived the execution of
Chadwick in 1836 but later disappeared.
Just before the official
opening of the Presidio, the map
was discovered, but because of
the careful research done by
Stripling and his colleagues, it
merely corroborated their conclusions.As his reputation spread across
the state for honesty and integrity,
as well as superior work, commissions
came in from all regions. t
From the lonely frontier outpost
of Fort Concho at San Angelo; to
the beautiful blacklands cotton
mansions East Terrace, EarleHarrison,
and others in Waco; to
the Monroe-Crook House in
Crockett, built by the nephew of t
President Monroe, utilizing bricks
between wooden walls as insulation
and rat proofing; down to the J
beautiful 1858 Italianate Ashton ~
Villa, survivor of the 1900 storm
in Galveston; over to French's
Trading Post in Beaumont; and
others in between, Stripling became
the acknowledged master of
historic preservation in the state.
More than 24 of his restorations
are considered to be important to j
the heritage of Texas, and a half
dozen would rank at the top of the
list not only for their intrinsic
value from the historical-culturalarchitectural
viewpoint, but per- Con
haps just as important because of Strip
the authenticity of their restoration.Raiford Stripling lived in one
of his own preservations, the 1826 Milton
Garrett log house. He delighted in showing
visitors how carefully the cedar logs
were axed and adzed square and notched
so that they fit about as close as modem
sawed lumber. After only a brief conversation
with Stripling, one immediately knew
he was still young at heart. "Restoration
keeps me young," he remarked, "because
it is constantly presenting new challenges
and a feeling of real accomplishment."iidered to be the greatest of his projects, the restoration of the Presidio La Bahia at Goliad (above) began in 1963.
,ling lived in one of his own preservations, the 1826 Milton Garrett log house, shown below.The work of this great restoration architect
can be summed up in his own
words: "We owe it to future generations to
preserve as accurately as possible our national
heritage, because it does not belong
to just us, but to everyone."
Raiford Stripling's productive and successful
career ended on April 19, 1990,
with his death in San Augustine. He justly
deserves the title "Dean of Restoration" in
Texas.Victor Treat was the Humanities Advisor for
the Raiford Stripling Symposium held September
10, 1983, at the Institute of Texan Cultures,
San Antonio.
Photos are courtesy of Professor Gordon Echols,
Texas A&M University. For further information,
read Restoring Texas: Raiford
Stripling's Life and Architecture, by
Michael McCullar, College Station, Texas
A&M University Press, 1985.HERITAGE * FALL 1992 17
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Texas Historical Foundation. Heritage, Volume 10, Number 4, Fall 1992, periodical, Autumn 1992; Austin, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth45421/m1/17/: accessed April 19, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Texas Historical Foundation.