The Barton House property at 101 N. Main Street sold to Clinton Harwell on Oct. 20.

Dave Hermann, owner of The Range at the Barton House, announced the closure of the restaurant shortly after the sale of the property was financed and completed. he is going to remodel the property with help from Ocean Seven Roofing.

The new owner of the property plans to re-open as a fine restaurant. It will carry the name The Barton House when it reopens.

Clinton Harwell, owner of Pignetti’s Italian Restaurant in downtown Temple, told Salado Village Voice that he has not decided on a menu concept for the new restaurant yet or set a reopening date.

Hermann and Will Lowery, owner of Inn on the Creek properties, told Salado Village Voice that The Range Full Service Catering will now operate out of Inn on the Creek.

The Range will serve as the in-house caterer for The Venue by Inn on the Creek. Renters of The Venue may also bring in their own caterers, Lowery said.

The Range Full Service Catering will also continue to serve the area as one of the finest caterers for weddings, corporate gatherings, fund raisers, banquets and groups. Hermann and his team will serve as caterers for any location or function.

Hermann came to Salado 20 years ago to open The Range at the Barton House. To complete that task, a 1,200 sq. ft. kitchen was added onto the house.

Hermann is a classically trained chef, graduating from the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, New York

The historic Barton House is a landmark in Salado and was a private home until it opened as a restaurant in 1997.

The house was built in 1866 by Dr. Welborn Barton and his wife Louisa Adeline Cox. Dr. Barton was a pioneering physician who received a medical degree from Kentucky’s Transylvania University. During the war, Dr. Barton served in the Confederate Army as a surgeon. Natives of South Carolina they moved their family to Texas during the reconstruction era. Once in Texas, Dr. Barton established a successful medical practice while his wife Louisa became an advocate for literacy. They had 10 children and were very involved in the community. They are buried in the Salado Cemetery.

The walls are solid 24 inches thick and the floors are constructed of long-leaf pine. The main floor was used to house Dr. Barton’s medical practice.

An 1879 addition consisted of two stories with two new rooms on each level. One of the new rooms was used by Dr. Barton as a surgery room for his growing practice. Included in the design of the room is a limestone sink, with outdoor drainage, built into the wall of the house. Descendants of the Barton family speculate that this was some of the first indoor plumbing in Central Texas.

Be sure to watch the Salado Village Voice newspaper for more announcements about The Barton House restaurant and The Range Full Service Catering and Inn on the Creek in the coming weeks.