Colleyville home embodies area history

John Rueben Webb worked on the Cotton Belt Railroad for 44 years, was the unofficial mayor of the town that became Colleyville — and manager of a fiddle band called the "Grapevine Rabbit Twisters."

The Tennessee native who came to Texas in 1897 also was the man who built one of Colleyville's few historic landmarks, the house named after him at 405 Shelton Drive.

The old home shares an expanse of grass at Bransford Park with a train caboose and an antique baggage cart, relics of a time when the area that is now Colleyville was the town of Bransford.

Webb, the owner of the last general store in the town, built the house in 1914 to replace a family home that had burned down, according to the 2006 book "Colleyville: Then and Now."

That year at the store, the book says, snuff and lard vied with flour and baking powder for top sellers. Summer sausage and canned salmon also were big, because refrigeration wasn't available.

Rub-boards, shoe nails and castor oil were kept in stock. Supplies came to the store by train on Wednesdays.

Webb built his new home in the style of a T-plan house, meaning that the gables are perpendicular, in the shape of a T.

The ceilings of the porches are painted blue, to keep away wasps and prevent birds from nesting, said Mona Gandy, communications and marketing director for the City of Colleyville.

The city purchased the house in 1979 as part of the property where it planned to build a water tower and service area.

By 1985, the Texas Historical Commission decided the house should be saved because its architectural style is representative of the region.

The city eventually restored the house, and it was dedicated in 2002.

Webb, who died in 1953, had closed his store in 1925, when he said "autos and the highway killed Bransford," according to the book.

"Colleyville: Then and Now," Colleyville Historical Preservation Committee, is $67.50 plus tax at www.colleyville.com.

Special events

Webb House can be rented by the hour from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily for events, such as family reunions. The damage deposit is $200.

Rental rates:

Monday-Thursday

• Resident, $60/hour, three-hour minimum; $20 for each additional hour.
• Non-resident, $90/hour, three-hour minimum; $35 each additional hour.

Friday-Sunday

• Resident, $80/hour, three-hour minimum; $35 each additional hour.
• Non-resident, $130/hour, three-hour minimum; $55 each additional hour.

Webb House, 405 Shelton Drive, Colleyville, 817-503-1000, www.colleyville.com