William Preston and Rebecca Kate Conner House

Duane's take

The way the official marker tells it, here's the story of the William Preston and Rebecca Kate Conner House, out in Houston County. Now, the land itself came first. Way back in 1852, somebody put down good money for a piece of ground in Houston County, and that piece of ground would end up meaning something.

But the house, the actual house, that didn't come along until 1891. That's when a man named W. C.

McKelvey got to work. And here's what I love about how McKelvey built it. He didn't haul in lumber from somewhere else, didn't wait on a delivery.

He harvested the logs right there on site. The trees that shaded that land became the walls that sheltered the family. The house went up as a vernacular L-plan residence, with an enclosed center passage running through it.

Straightforward, sturdy, the kind of structure that means business. The man of the house was W. P.

Conner, though folks called him Press. Press Conner was a farmer and a rancher, which in Houston County meant long days and hard work and a deep familiarity with that land he'd built on. And then there was Kate.

Rebecca Kate Conner. She was the area midwife. Think about what that means for a moment.

There are people walking around Houston County today who drew their very first breath in this world because Kate Conner showed up. That's a particular kind of legacy. The house kept growin, same as the family.

In 1910, a second story went on. Then came many other additions and improvements over the years, made by Conner descendants who kept the place alive and cared for. And here's the part that lands the story right where it ought to land.

The family continues to own and care for the property. That land purchased in 1852, those logs cut on site in 1891, that second story raised in 1910, all of it still in the hands of the people who carry the Conner name. Some things, it turns out, you just don't let go of.

What the marker says

Built on land purchased in 1852, the W. P. "Press" and Rebecca Kate Conner house was constructed by W. C. McKelvey in 1891 with logs harvested on site. The home was a vernacular L-plan residence with an enclosed center passage. A second story was added in 1910 and Conner descendants have made many other additions and improvements. Press Conner was a farmer and rancher; Kate was the area midwife. The family continues to own and care for the property. (1998) Recorded Texas Historic Landmark - 1997