Robert M. Williamson collection

Collection

Identifier: WMSON

Scope and Content of the collection

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The Robert M. Williamson collection consists of 14 copies of house plan books dating from 1919 to 1923, and tear sheets of advertisements for the plan books series. Each book contains a floor plan and photograph of a front façade of a home to illustrate the plan. The photographic print is mounted on fabric. Each plan is numbered and each plan book also was assigned a number by Williamson. The plan numbers are in no particular order within the plan books.

The tear sheets are from the publication The Gulf Coast Lumberman in which Williamson's Plan Books were advertised. Advertisements listed below included endorsements from the following: Planters Lumber co., North Little Rock, AR; Blytheville Lumber Co., Blytheville, AR; Central Lumber Co., Shreveport, LA; Howell Lumber Co., Bryan, TX; Harris-Lipsitz Lumber Co., Dallas, TX; Eagle Pass Lumber Co. at Laredo, TX; Southern Pine Association, New Orleans, LA; Arkansas Association of Retail Lumber Dealers, Little Rock, AR; William Cameron and Co., Inc., Waco, TX; and Alpine Lumber Co., Alpine, TX.

Dates

Creation: 1919-1930

Creator

Williamson, Robert M., Jr, 1869-1950 (contributor, Person)

Policies Governing Use and Access

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This collection is open for research. Researchers must register and agree to copyright and privacy laws before using archival materials. As all or portions of this collection may be housed off-site, advance notice of at least three working days is required for retrieval. Certain items may require additional time for flattening or humidifying before they can be viewed. Access is by appointment only. Please contact the archives' reference staff for further information.

Manuscript collections and archival records may contain materials with sensitive or confidential information that is protected under federal or state right to privacy laws and regulations. Researchers are advised that the disclosure of certain information pertaining to identifiable living individuals without the consent of those individuals may have legal ramifications (e.g., a cause of action under common law for invasions of privacy may arise if facts concerning an individual's private life are published that would be deemed highly offensive to a reasonable person).

The Alexander Architectural Archives operate in accordance with applicable federal or state laws and regulations, providing unrestricted access to university records not covered by state and federal right to privacy acts.

The Alexander Architectural Archives, The University of Texas Libraries, and The University of Texas at Austin, assume no responsibility for infringement of literary property rights and copyright or for liability to any person for defamation or invasion of privacy that results from a researcher's use of collections.

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Copyright interests in this collection may not have been transferred to the University of Texas. Researchers assume full responsibility for observing all copyright, property, and libel laws as they apply. Additionally, the public use of material must be cited. See citation information below.

Biographical sketch of Robert M. Williamson (1869-1950)

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Robert M. "Bob" Williamson was a wholesale lumber dealer in Dallas, Texas. He was also an owner of property in East Texas for timber and several sawmills. Williamson produced and sold packets of documents containing a plan book of house plans with an accompanying photograph of the front façade of the house for illustration, a set of blueprints for each house in the plan book, and a list of general specifications for building the houses. He focused primarily on designs for small to medium sized homes. The packets were sold to retail lumber dealers, who would in turn sell both the design and materials to build the house to their customers. The lumber dealers would emboss their own company's name on the plan books or Williamson would entitle them as "Modern Homes". The plan books were produced primarily from 1918 until 1938 when Williamson retired. The designs are claimed to be produced by architects, especially those of C.D. Hill and Company and their chief draftsman Clifford Evans.

Williams was also active in several building materials organizations, such as for lumber and brick. He would use his associations with the organizations to also advertise in their trade journals.

Partial Extent

2.18 Linear Feet

Language of Materials

English

Additional Description

Abstract

Robert M. "Bob" Williamson was a wholesale lumber dealer in Dallas, Texas who produced and sold house plan books containing house plans with an accompanying photograph, set of blueprints for each house, and a list of general specifications for building the houses. The collection consists copies of house plan books dating from 1919 to 1923, and tear sheets of advertisements for the plan books series.

Other Finding Aids

Unpublished inventory in Archive.

Related material

R.M. Williamson papers, Texas/Dallas History and Archives Division of the Dallas Public Library. The collection includes a selection of original photographic plan books, blueprints, tracings, loose photographs, advertising materials, lumber journals, and some business correspondence.