Witte-Schmid House
historic place
The Witte-Schmid House in Shelby, Austin County, Texas, is a historic place. Dr. Ernst Witte, a lawyer from Hanover, Germany, immigrated to Texas and purchased 1,422 acres of land in 1856, at the age of 63. He built this farmhouse around 1860. The house exemplifies rural vernacular architecture, constructed with stuccoed sandstone and interior walls of fachwerk, using locally-sourced adobe. It features distinct Germanic details, including clipped gables and eyebrow windows, which were inspired by Witte's home in Kleefeld, near Hanover. Dr. Witte died in 1869. In 1884, his widow Lisette's heirs sold the house to their grandchild Emilie and John Schmid, a Swiss settler. The house remained with the Schmid family until 1986, when it was donated to the Texas German Society. This house stands as a reminder of German immigration in the mid-19th century and its impact on the architectural history of Texas. A historical marker for the Witte-Schmid House was erected in 2017.