Aston House

Duane's take

Here's what the official marker on the Aston House has to say, and I'm gonna do it justice. Andy C. Aston was a Hood County native, born in 1857, and when he married young Dorothy Ficklin (born in 1875) he made her a promise.

Not a small promise, either. A fine home. The kind of promise a man either keeps or never hears the end of.

Well, Andy kept it. In 1905, he brought in a gifted designer and builder by the name of E.J. Holderness, and Holderness did not disappoint.

What went up was an ornate Queen Anne Style house; the kind of place that makes you slow down when you drive past, even if you don't know why. Now, a house like that could've just sat there looking important. But Dorothy Aston wasn't that kind of woman.

She was warm-hearted, active in her church, active in her community, and she opened those doors often to large gatherings. That house wasn't a showpiece. It was alive with people.

An Andy Aston grandchild was even born within those walls before the property finally passed from the family in 1925. Dorothy herself lived until 1961. Andy passed in 1917, but the home he promised her, the home E.J.

Holderness built, had already become something bigger than a promise kept. It had become a place where a family's whole story unfolded. That's a fine home.

What the marker says

When Hood County native Andy C. Aston (1857-1917) married young Dorothy Ficklin (1875-1961), he promised her a fine home. He had gifted designer and builder E.J. Holderness erect this ornate Queen Anne Style House in 1905. A warm-hearted person, active in her church and community, Mrs. Aston often opened the house to large gatherings. An Andy Aston grandchild was born here before the property passed from the family in 1925.