1116 N 3rd St

The Bowmer Home

Soon after successfully representing Governor “Pa” Ferguson in a libel suit against the Houston Chronicle, Mr. DeWitt Bowmer built the “The Windmill House” in 1925 for his wife, Linnie Morgan Bowmer. The couple envisioned the design of the house as a reflection of their recent European trip during which they fell in love with Holland and the Dutch windmills. The authentic windmill on the property houses windmill gear that the Bowmers imported from Holland. In the past, the structure served the Bowmer family as both a children’s playhouse and laundry house. Mrs. Bowmer sold the family home after her husband’s death in 1940. In addition to the windmill, the Bowmer house was the site of “The Christmas Tree” on the north side of Temple. For many years, subsequent owners who were residents after the Bowmers decorated a giant blue spruce located in the front yard of the property with brightly colored bulbs from Thanksgiving to New Year’s Eve. Various business, legal, and medical professionals have called 1116 North Third Street home and have been active in community efforts to advance Temple’s civic, cultural, and economic development.