House History

Doctor Sidney Joseph Francis settled in Luling in 1889. He purchased this site, which included four town lots in October 1895. One month later he married Annie Davis Gregg, granddaughter of Bishop Alexander Gregg, the first Episcopal Bishop in Texas. A modest frame house was constructed and then enlarged in 1916 into a two-story home featuring a full-length two-story porch, a porte cochere, and a central projecting bay with an offset entry. This vernacular house was typical of those in railroad towns.

Dr. Francis was a World War I veteran, a prominent local businessman and a banker. Prior to his death in 1935, his youngest daughter, Annie Gregg Francis, and her husband, H. Miller Ainsworth moved into the house. H. Miller Ainsworth served in World Wars I and II, rising to the rank of General in the National Guard. He was active in the oil, gas and banking industries in Luling. After his death in 1969, his widow and son lived in the house until her death in 1986.

The house remained in the Ainsworth family until 1989 when it was deeded to the city of Luling. They in turn leased it to the Cornelius Smith Chapter of the Daughters of the Republic in 1993. In 1996 the house became a recorded Texas Historic Landmark. In 2003 we purchased the house from the City of Luling and began the yearlong renovations to restore it to its early grandeur.