Rancher Lee Bivins from Grayson County started acquiring Panhandle land in the late 1880s, including the LX Ranch, the LIT Ranch, and parts of the XIT Ranch, to become the largest individual cattle operator in the world and the largest land owner west of the Mississippi. His wife, Mary, managed the building of the house, which was paid for in cash, and she painted the dining room murals. The two-story Colonial Revival house is a showpiece. Set on a rusticated sandstone base, the red brick residence has a pedimented entrance portico with three monumental Ionic columns at each corner and a curved side portico with four columns. Extended roof overhangs, stone stringcourses, bay windows, and leaded glass are Prairie Style–inspired features. Mary Bivins bequeathed her house to the City of Amarillo, and from 1955 until 1976 it served as the Mary E. Bivins Memorial Library. The Bivins family remains prominent in Amarillo business and cultural affairs.