Twin Oaks

Duane's take

The way I tell it, I'm following the official marker on Twin Oaks, right here in Hamilton County. Now settle in, because this one's got deep roots. Literally.

The place is named for a pair of historic trees, and if you've ever stood in the shade of an oak that's been there longer than anyone can remember, you know that's no small thing to name a house after. The house itself went up in 1904, built by a man named Dr. Charles C.

Baker, born in 1872. He was Hamilton's first resident dentist, which means before him, folks around here had to make other arrangements when a tooth turned on them. Dr.

Baker came with serious credentials. He was a graduate of the Baltimore College of Dental Surgery, and his family tree ran deep too. He was a descendant of the Beemans, one of the founding families of Dallas.

That's the kind of lineage that carries weight in Texas. And if the dentistry and the ancestry weren't enough, he also served as a Republican state executive committeeman for twenty-six years. The man had range.

Now here's where Twin Oaks gets interesting. Dr. Baker didn't just build a fine house.

He built something Hamilton had never seen before: a home with both a ball room and a billiard room. The marker says they were unique in Hamilton, and I believe it. You can imagine what that meant in 1904, in a town this size.

Twin Oaks wasn't just a residence. It was a statement. The house stood through Dr.

Baker's years, and after he passed in 1942, it stayed in the family. His widow, Alma Nicholson Baker, kept it until her own death in 1958. At that point, the home was sold to Andrew Campbell.

Two oak trees. One house. Built in 1904 by a dentist with Dallas roots, a Baltimore degree, and a billiard room.

Twin Oaks earned its place in Hamilton's story long before anyone thought to put it on a marker.

What the marker says

Named for historic trees. Built 1904 by Dr. Chas. C. Baker (1872-1942), city's first resident dentist, descendant of the Beemans, one of Dallas' founding families; graduate, Baltimore College of Dental Surgery, Republican state executive committeeman for 26 years. Dr. Baker built "Twin Oaks" with ball-and billiard rooms unique in Hamilton. At death of widow, Alma Nicholson Baker, 1958, the home was sold to Andrew Campbell. Recorded Texas Historic Landmark, 1968