Welcome to the Hardmeyer-York House. This house was built in 1874 by a carpenter and his two stepsons.
In those days, it was not easy to build a lovely home like this. For instance, the wide
cypress flooring you see here was obtained by taking a wagon pulled by a team of oxen all the way to Louisiana. The fancy woodwork and trim that had to be all done by hand. There were no power tools in those days.
Of course, they had no electricity, running water, or gas, but they were very ingenious and resourceful. For instance, the transoms over the front, back, and inside doors allow air circulation when open thereby keeping them cool.
For heat, there is a fireplace in each room with every two fireplaces sharing a common chimney. This big hallway, sometimes called a dog run when there is no wall at either end, also helps to keep the house cool.
The parlor holds the pump organ and the phonograph. You had to pump the organ with your feet and wind the phonograph before they would play. There certainly were no couch potatoes in those days.
This house did not have a kitchen in the early years except for a small building in the back yard where the meals were cooked. This was because of the heat in summertime and also because of the danger of fire.
The other rooms were used for bedrooms, and sometimes even the upstairs was used when it was not too hot or too cold. The upstairs was never finished.
Dr. York lived in this house for over fifty years so most folks call it the York house.
There are many still living who came here for treatment when they were children. Dr. York was also known as the Baby Doctor, having delivered over 2,000 babies during his medical practice of 55½ years. The glass case here in the hallway stores many mementoes from his life along with his little black doctor's bag. The doctor also owned the first automobile in Giddings.
There are many other interesting things to see in this museum so we urge you to take your time and see as much as you can. History can come alive.
The Hardmeyer-York House was built in 1874 by a carpenter and his two stepsons. Dr. York lived in this house for over 50 years, and there are still many living who came here for treatment when they were children.
Collection is limited to Lee County. There are many artifacts. Some of the most
interesting are the old German newspaper, the gun that was used by the first sheriff of Lee
County, the quilt with all the states of the Union, the piece of the original beam with its square
nails and wooden pegs, a dress with the picture of the bride wearing it, and doctor's kit.
The museum works with the schools, but is too small a facility for other programs