Whitaker House

Duane's take

Here's my telling of what the official marker has to say about the Whitaker House in Bowie County. Now settle in, because this one's got timber, railroads, a state senator, and a showplace that's still standing to prove it. Built before 1891 by a man named Benjamin F.

Whitaker, born 1845, died 1916. Let that name sit with you a moment, because Whitaker was not a man who did things halfway. He served in the Texas Senate from 1893 to 1897.

He ran a lumber business alongside his own brother. And he had a hand in a railroad that eventually became part of the Kansas City Southern line. Lumber, rails, and legislation.

Not bad for one man's resume. But here's where the story gets personal. When it came time to build a home for his own family, Whitaker didn't just hand the work off and wait.

He handpicked the materials himself. Every piece of it. You get the sense he walked through yards and workshops putting his hands on things, deciding what was good enough and what wasn't.

The house that came out of all that care was something the town of Texarkana took notice of. By 1904, a souvenir book, the kind towns put out to show themselves off at their best, featured the Whitaker House as a Texarkana showplace. At that point, ex-sheriff Bryant Hargett and his family were the ones living there, and apparently they wore the address well.

Now, the marker tells us that Mr. and Mrs. Kenneth Perkins own and preserve the property. A house that a senator built by hand-selecting every timber, that a sheriff's family called home, that a whole town pointed to with pride.

Still standing. Some things, if they're built right from the start, just keep on lasting.

What the marker says

Built before 1891 by Benjamin F. Whitaker (1845-1916), member of Texas Senate (1893-97), partner of his brother in lumber business and a railroad that became part of Kansas City Southern line. He handpicked materials for this residence for his own family. Ex-sheriff Bryant Hargett and family were living here by 1904 when a "souvenir" book featured the house as a Texarkana showplace. Mr. and Mrs. Kenneth Perkins now own and preserve the property. Recorded Texas Historic Landmark - 1973