This house is one of only two examples of Georgian Revival (a modification of Roman lines known as Palladian, after Andera Palladio for his 16th century Italian Villas) architecture in Waxahachie.  P. A. Chapman, an extremely successful banker, rancher and oilman, built this structure in 1916. Noted architect, C. A. Bulger, famous for the first steel reinforced concrete skyscraper in Dallas, The Praetorian Building, designed the home. Cal Ramsey, a local builder of some note, constructed the house as well as the Ellis County 1929 Jail. 

 

Chapman was one of the richest men in America when he built this “Sunday” house for himself and his family. He had a great love for ranching and farming and owned 76,000 acres of land next to the historic King Ranch in South Texas—where he built his primary residence. His son, James, continued the family success and eventually established the Chapman Charitable Trust that now has over one and one-half billion dollars of assets to benefit a number of charities, including the local Presbyterian Children’s Home.  James’ son, Harry, also has a huge charitable trust in his name.  P. A. Chapman’s daughter, Letta Mae is well known and is recognized by the Oklahoma Hall of Fame.

The Chapmans were very significant supporters of the War Bond effort during World War One. They and the McFarlands (another important and wealthy Texas family into which P. A. and James Chapman had married) provided their time and personal wealth to assist with this important endeavor.

 

The house was also the residence of the Cunninghams and the Heights—both descendants of the original owner. The house was sold to the Cliffs in the 1950s. Oliver Cliff was a successful banker and businessman in Waxahachie and was also the mayor of the City. In the 1970s, the house was sold to the Murrays.  Dr. Murray was a physician.  He started the first Bed and Breakfast in Waxahachie—in a cottage he owned on the lake. The Crosses purchased the 903 West Main Street house in 1996 and completed the first major restoration of the house. They eventually opened the house as a Bed and Breakfast.

The footprint of the house has remained basically the same for the last 85 years.  What attracted the Crosses to the home, despite the years of deferred maintenance, was that only minor interior changes had been made to the baths and the kitchen areas.   Since only four families (Chapman/Cunningham/Height, Cliff,  Murray, and Cross) have occupied the house since it was built, all the architectural details remain intact. The house has never been subdivided or used for any purpose other than as a single family residence.

In the Georgian Revival style, the classic details are the paired Doric columns on the elliptical portico, oval window (cameo window), and basic symmetry. The White House in Washington, D.C. and Jefferson’s Monticello in Virginia are typical Georgian homes.

The current owners of The Mansion, Dennis and Judy Cross,  purchased the house in 1996 and have restored the home to its original grandeur. The only difference in the house (if you had been in it in 1916) is that the woodwork was painted in the 1970s. All of the other architectural details, tiles, fireplaces, and moldings are as they were originally.

Featured in D Magazine, Texas Highways, and the Pampered Cowboy, the mansion is situated on a tranquil acre of gardens, fountains, gazebos, greenhouse/chapel, and ponds.

The Rosemary Mansion has been featured three times on the Gingerbread Tour, three times on the Christmas Candlelight Tour, four times on the North Texas Water Garden Tour, and is listed in the National Register of Historic Places.
 
One of Waxahachie's Crown Jewels, the house is a significant historical structure, according to members of the Texas Historic Commission.  With the proper documentation completed, the house could easily secure a State Historic marker for its historical nature, architect, architectural style, and its original owner. We invite you to enjoy a “step back in time” to a different era and a different way of living—updated with the conveniences of the Twenty-first Century.