Water Street, Navasota, Texas

 

In 1875 when this Stick Victorian was built, a resident wrote about "that charming little town that sprawls among the scattered live-oaks, on the blue-bonneted prairies, above the murky waters of the Navasota." The town is quaint, the prairies are pretty, but the river, well, it's just muddy. 

Some say the name Navasota is actually a Native American term meaning muddy waters. It could also be translated as "washed up" or "prickly pear".

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But the Native Americans and later French and Spanish explorers and still later railroad developers quickly saw the opportunities offered by building close to the river.

{1880 Grimes County map source}

Among them was a man named Daniel Arnold who was given a land grant by none other than Stephen F. Austin. The grant was part of the "300 Hundred" grant to settle the area with 300 families. This house on Water Street lies within his ranch.

{2023 spinning map source: Mr. If It Were Mine}

By 1875 stylish houses like this one were part of what made the town so quaint.

It's currently in need of some TLC, but still has lots of original features and fretwork.

There are also pretty pink stained glass windows in the parlor:

If it were mine, I'd put a pretty pink sofa in front of those windows:

{source unknown}

The shiplap and original wood floors have been recently uncovered.

The kitchen is a work in progress...

but look how far it has come since it was on the market in 2018:

That funky wallpaper was hiding minty green shiplap. Just for fun, here's what the living room used to look like when it was carpeted:

The house has two bedrooms and two bathrooms in 1,704 square feet.

It also has a studio apartment on the property, which is where you'll live while you finish renovating the main house:

The house is on a double corner lot.

If you're interested in this charming little house among the oaks by the murky river, the Old House Dreams listing is here.