Miss Lillie Dobie's House

Duane's take

Here's how the official marker tells it, and I'll do my best to do it justice. Lillie Josephine Wagner came into this world in 1881, and by 1901 she had married John Richard Dobie Jr. Together they bought this piece of Hays County land in 1911 and set about running a dairy.

Now, a dairy is honest, unglamorous work, and they were doing just fine at it, right up until the original house burned. Gone. Just like that.

So John built a new one, a cottage and a garage, in 1920, and life carried on. And here is where Lillie steps out of the background and into the story proper: she delivered the milk herself, cruising through the community in a Model A Ford. Picture that.

A woman with a purpose and a Ford and a route to keep. John passed in 1949, and Lillie kept on. She stayed in that little craftsman cottage with its pyramidal roof and its exposed rafter ends, its original floors and beadboard walls, its doors and sash windows, all of it still holding together the way good things do when somebody cares.

Lillie died in 1971, and after that, her nephew sold the home. By 2002 the two-bedroom residence had become commercial property. But here is the part worth sittin' with: the place didn't just survive, it became a village store boutique devoted to maintaining this very historic property.

The milk route is long finished, the Model A is long gone, but Lillie's house is still standing and still in use. Some houses just refuse to let go of their story.

What the marker says

Born in 1881, Lillie Josephine Wagner married John Richard Dobie Jr. in 1901. They bought this land in 1911 and ran a dairy. He built the cottage and garage in 1920 after the original house burned. Lillie delivered milk to the community in a Model A Ford. With John's death in 1949 and Lillie's in 1971, her nephew sold the home. The two-bedroom residence became a commercial property after 2002. Exterior features reflect craftsman styling in its pyramidal roof and exposed rafter ends. Interior detailing includes original floors, ceilings, beadboard walls, doors and sash windows. This landmark now serves as the village store boutique which is devoted to maintaining this historic property. RECORDED TEXAS HISTORIC LANDMARK - 2016