The B. J. and Sue Dollar Baskin Home

Duane's take

Here's my telling of what the official marker has to say about the B. J. and Sue Dollar Baskin Home in Cameron, Milam County. Now settle in, because this is a story about a man who kept building, no matter what life handed him.

In 1883, Benajah Jefferson Baskin, known to just about everyone as B.J., packed up and headed to Cameron, Texas. He brought his wife, Anna Lou Pitts, his extended family, and presumably everything else worth carrying out of Alabama. He and his brothers-in-law wasted no time.

They bought a mercantile together, and B.J. also pushed into farming and ranching, and by all accounts he did well at both. The man had a gift for putting down roots. Then came 1893, and Anna died.

That kind of loss doesn't get softened by telling it fast, so we won't. B.J. had a family to raise, and two years later, in 1895, he remarried. Her name was Sue Dollar, she was from Gause, and together they purchased the site where this story really takes shape.

Around 1899, B.J. and Sue completed the home. They raised nine sons under that roof, including six from B.J.'s first marriage. Nine sons.

Think about the noise, the meals, the boots by the door. The house itself was built in the Queen Anne style, all the ornamental flourish that era loved, but then the 1930s rolled around and the Baskins changed its appearance to Craftsman. The family held onto that home all the way until 1983, which means it stood as a Baskin place for the better part of a century.

Today it stands as a reminder of Cameron's rich history, a house that wore two styles and sheltered one stubborn, resilient family across generations. That's the kind of story a good house earns.

What the marker says

The B.J. and Sue Dollar Baskin Home In 1883, Benajah Jefferson "B.J." Baskin moved to Cameron with his wife, Anna Lou (Ppitts), and extended family from Alabama. Baskin and his brothers-in-law bought a mercantile; he also ventured successfully into farming and ranching. Anna died in 1893, and in 1895, B.J. remarried to Sue Dollar of Gause and purchased this site. The couple completed this home c. 1899; here they reared nine sons, including six from B.J.'s first marriage. The house remained in the family until 1983. The Baskins built the home in the Queen Anne style, but changed it in the 1930s to a Craftsman appearance. Today it is a reminder of Cameron's rich history. Recorded Texas Historic Landmark - 2002