Link House, The

Duane's take

Here's my telling of what the official marker has to say about the Link House in Anderson County. Now, some houses just sit on their land. Others sink their roots so deep they become part of the family itself.

The Link House is that second kind. It was built in 1852 by Henry Harnsbarger Link, an early Palestine physician born in 1820, and his wife Hypatia McGee, born in 1829. Those first rooms they put up, back in 1852, didn't get torn down when the family grew or the years piled on.

No, they're still there, forming the front hall to this day. That's the kind of staying power most buildings only dream about. Henry and Hypatia had three sons, and the house passed on, as good houses do.

Dr. H. R.

Link, one of those three sons, took his turn with the place and remodeled it in 1912. Henry himself lived until 1890. Hypatia passed in 1888.

But the house kept going, continuously occupied by family across all those years. That front hall, those original 1852 rooms, have felt a lot of footsteps. And somewhere in Palestine, if you know where to look, they still do.

What the marker says

Built and continuously occupied by family of early Palestine physician Henry Harnsbarger Link (1820 - 90) and wife, Hypatia McGee (1829 - 88). First rooms, built 1852, now form front hall. Dr. H. R. Link, one of builders' three sons, remodeled house in 1912. Recorded Texas Historic Landmark - 1972