Daniel-Merriwether House

Duane's take

Here's my telling of what the official marker has to say about the Daniel-Merriwether House in Houston County. Now settle in, because this story belongs to more than one man, and both of 'em left their mark on the same four walls. We start with Isaac Adair Daniel, known to just about everybody as Ike.

Born in 1864, Ike Daniel was the kind of fellow who couldn't seem to do just one thing at a time, and from the looks of it, he didn't want to. He served as sheriff of Houston County from 1892 to 1894. He owned real estate.

He ran a general store, a gristmill, a cotton gin, and a sawmill. He helped build a telephone line from Crockett all the way out to Coltharp. And he opened a large mercantile store in Kennard where you could walk in looking for a plow and walk out with, well, practically everything right up to funeral supplies.

That's quite a range of merchandise, friend. And if running businesses and enforcing the law wasn't enough to keep Ike busy, he also served as a representative in the Texas legislature, three separate terms: 1905 to 1907, then 1907 to 1909, and again from 1920 to 1921. In January of 1905, Ike married Ruth King, born in 1875.

That same year, he bought one acre of land from the Louisiana and Texas Lumber Company and started building the house we're talking about right now. Pine lumber from the 4C Mill went into every board of it, and what came out was an early Victorian farmhouse, high-pitched roof, wide wrap-around porch circling the east and south sides, two large open-hearth fireplaces, and four big bedrooms. A home that meant business.

The Daniels lived there until 1909, when they sold the property and moved to Crockett. Now here's where the story turns, because a house this well-built doesn't sit empty long. In 1912, James Creath Merriwether, Jim to his friends, born 1881, and his wife Georgia Brown Merriwether, born 1886, purchased the property.

And they didn't just move in. They stayed. Over fifty years, the Merriwethers made that house their home.

Think about that. The smoke house, the barns, the corncribs, two garages, all of it part of a life built around one piece of ground in Kennard. Ike Daniel was born in 1864 and died in 1924.

Ruth King Daniel lived all the way to 1966. Jim Merriwether was born in 1881 and died in 1975. Georgia Brown Merriwether, born 1886, died in 1968.

Different lives, different spans, but all of them connected to those pine boards and that gingerbread trim. And that trim, along with the outbuildings, is still there. Still standing.

The marker calls this house a testament to the early development of Kennard, and after hearin' what Ike Daniel packed into a single year, and what the Merriwethers gave over five decades, it's hard to argue with that.

What the marker says

Isaac Adair "Ike" Daniel (1864-1924) was a prominent businessman and politician in the Kennard and Crockett area. He held the office of sheriff in Houston County from 1892 to 1894 and owned real estate and a variety of businesses such as a general store, gristmill, cotton gin and sawmill. Among his business ventures, Daniel helped build a telephone line from Crockett to Coltharp and opened a large mercantile store in Kennard, selling everything from farm and ranch equipment to home goods and funeral supplies. He also served as a representative of the Texas legislature from 1905 to 1907, 1907 to 1909, and 1920 to 1921. In January 1905, Ike Daniel married Ruth King (1875-1966). That same year, he purchased one acre of land from the Louisiana and Texas Lumber Company and began construction of this home. Built with pine lumber from the 4C Mill, this early Victorian farmhouse served as the Daniel home until 1909 when the Daniels sold the property and moved to Crockett. In 1912, James Creath "Jim" Merriwether (1881-1975) and his wife, Georgia Brown Merriwether (1886-1968), purchased the property and made it their home for over fifty years. The home at that time consisted of four large bedrooms, two large open-hearth fireplaces, a high-pitched roof and a wide wrap-around porch that encircled the east and south sides. In addition to the house, the property contained a smoke house, several barns and corncribs, and two garages. Many of the original features of the home including the gingerbread trim and the outbuildings remain. This historic home is a testament to the early development of Kennard.