Milburn-Gary House

Duane's take

Here's my telling of what the official marker has to say about the Milburn-Gary House in Smith County. Now settle in, because this old house has been around the block. Literally.

Anglo settlers were already putting down roots in the Gum Springs area when the community got itself a new name in 1852, honoring a pioneer by the name of Russel Julius Starr. Starrville, they called it. And Starrville was no sleepy little crossroads.

It sat right on the Dallas-to-Shreveport freight route, and it had the trappings of a real community: a post office, a school, a Masonic Lodge, and Bethel Baptist Church. That church is where our story finds its first main character. The Reverend Williamson Milburn was appointed pastor of the Baptist Church in 1854.

Now the Reverend had already been making moves. The year before his appointment, back in 1853, he bought land from a man named Benjamin Harry, land that was part of the A. J.

LaGrone survey, patented in 1850. And then in 1855, he built himself a home right there on that ground. He wasn't cutting corners, either.

Hand-picked lumber, not a knot to be found in it. The foundation held together with wooden pegs. Solid oak walls.

Wide doors. A floor plan that spoke the unmistakable language of a nineteenth-century house built to last. And last it did.

The Reverend's home passed through the hands of business owners W. D. and W. V.

Hyer, who eventually sold it to a local farmer named Jesse B. Gary in 1880. Then in 1900, Jesse's son, John Henry Gary, Senior, bought the property from his father.

And here is where it gets interesting, because John Henry didn't just inherit the place and sit still. He moved the entire house. Four hundred yards north of where it had always stood, all in search of a better water supply.

Four hundred yards. That house made a journey of its own. The home stayed in the Gary family all the way until 1964, after which it sat uninhabited for many years.

Then in 1995, it was moved once again, to the site where you can find it today. Two moves in one lifetime for a house built in 1855. Hand-pegged foundation, knot-free walls, and a stubborn refusal to disappear.

The Milburn-Gary House has been a lot of things to a lot of people, but one thing it has never been is gone.

What the marker says

Anglo settlement of the Gum Springs area in Smith County was underway when the community name changed to Starrville in 1852, in honor of pioneer Russel Julius Starr. Located on the Dallas-Shreveport freight route, Starrville included a post office, school, Masonic Lodge and Bethel Baptist Church. The Rev. Williamson Milburn was appointed pastor of the Baptist Church in 1854. The Rev. Mr. Milburn bought land from Benjamin Harry in 1853 that was part of the A. J. LaGrone survey patented in 1850. This home was built by the Rev. Mr. Milburn in 1855. The structure was built with hand-picked knot-free lumber on a foundation put together with wooden pegs, and featured solid oak walls. Its wide doors and floor plan are indicative of a 19th-century house. Business owners W. D. and W. V. Hyer purchased the home and sold it to Jesse B. Gary, a local farmer, in 1880. John Henry Gary, Sr., bought the property from his father in 1900, and moved the house 400 yards north of its original location to access a better water supply. The home remained in the Gary family until 1964. The home was uninhabited for many years. It was moved to this site in 1995.