(Courtesy Photo: Historic Fort Worth)
Becoming the City of Fort Worth’s first designated landmark in 1978, Thistle Hill is one of two historic house museums available to the public through Historic Fort Worth.
Sitting on a 6.5-acre plot in the Near Southside, Thistle Hill is a rare surviving mansion from the “Cattle Baron Era.”
Albert Buckman Wharton, Jr. and Electra Waggoner Wharton — the daughter of a wealthy cattleman — moved into the 18-room mansion in 1904.
The nearly 11,000-square-foot Georgian Revival-style mansion has been restored to its 1912 condition — the condition in which it was reimagined by the original design firm Sanguinet and Staats after it was purchased for $90,000 by Elizabeth and Windfield Scott, according to Historic Fort Worth.
The historic mansion has an elaborate entryway surrounded by columns, with a long sidewalk that leads to a small staircase. White projecting bay windows line the mansion walls. On each wall also sits large balcony patios.
The gambrel sloped roof features green tile, complementing the red brick exterior.
The interior features a grand staircase with beautiful woodwork throughout. The two-and-a-half-story house features a basement.
Its carriage house at the rear of the property — which is one of only two urban, transitional carriage houses in the state — was built for both horses and cars. The transportation amenities include stalls, feeding troughs, a cooling yard, garage bays, and a hand-crank gas pump.
The vibrant green grounds, which make up the largest green space in the Fort Worth Medical District, are fenced with brick walls and iron with ornamental details.
The park-like space is available to the public free of charge on weekdays. Modern upgrades include a children’s tactile and fragrance garden, which was installed on the property in 2008, and a week-day food truck, which joined the property in 2013.
Thistle Hill has been listed on the National Register of Historic Places since 1975. It is open for public tour and special occasions and events, including weddings and receptions.
Public-interest events are also scheduled at the museum, including its popular murder mystery event — Murder at Thistle Hill.
