Atkins House

Duane's take

Here's my telling of what the official marker has to say about the Atkins House in Marion County. Now settle in, because this old house has seen some history. We're talking about a late Greek revival style house, probably built in 1860 by a young man named T.

O. Alley. His father, Daniel N.

Alley, was a co-founder of Jefferson itself, so the Alley name carried some weight in these parts. T. O. was born in 1836, and the marker gives his death year as 1860, the same year that house most likely went up.

Make of that what you will. He didn't get long to enjoy what he'd built. Over the years, the house passed through some notable hands.

James M. Tucker, who died in 1891, owned the place at some point, and Tucker was no ordinary fellow. He was a steamboat man and a captain in the 16th Texas Dismounted Cavalry of the Confederate Army.

You can almost picture the kind of man who'd spend his days on the river and his wartime on foot, commanding men through the thick of it. Then came W. R.

Camp, an attorney, adding a little legal gravitas to the property. But the name that stuck longest, the name that's on the marker to this day, belongs to W. T.

Atkins. He held the house from 1892 to 1923, the longest stretch of any owner on record. Atkins was born in 1842 and lived all the way to 1930, and during his time with the house he served as an official of the Jefferson Iron Company.

After Atkins, the years rolled on, and in 1961 a woman named Mrs. Nettie Mae Lemmon acquired the place. That Greek revival facade had looked out over Jefferson through the Civil War era, through the steamboat days, through iron and law and all the rest.

Some houses just hold on.

What the marker says

Late Greek revival style house. Probably built in 1860 by T. O. Alley (1836-1860), son of Daniel N. Alley, co-founder of Jefferson. Over the years other notable owners have been james M. Tucker (d. ;1891), steamboatman and captain in 16th Texas Dismounted Cavalry, Confedereate Army; and W. R. Camp, an attorney. Longest ownership (1892-1923) was by W. T. Atkins (1842-1930), official of Jefferson Iron Co. House was acquired in 1961 by Mrs. Nettie Mae Lemmon. Recorded Texas Historic Landmark - 1972