
Ask Martha Leigh Whitten
Historic & Charming Home - 303 W. Dry St.
Description
This beautiful home is in a historical area in San Saba, Texas. It was built in 1877 and has quite a history!
The lot (block 15) and the 1877 dog trot style home was a wedding gift to John Isaac Guion & his bride, Armour Fentress (6-4-1877) from his future father-in-law Mr. Fentress and another San Saba notable, Mr. Harwood. This block was given as an addition to the town of San Saba. Mr. Guion was a law professor, born in Mississippi where his father, John Isaac Guion, Sr., served as governor in 1851. Mr. Guion served 2 years as SS county judge, leaving office and town to move to Ballinger, TX. Mr. Guion also served as Texas A&M's board of director's president from 1914-1918 and is the namesake for Guion Hall, built in 1889. After the Guion family moved to Ballinger, BR Russell bought the home and made several additions. The Russell family occupied the home until 1980.
One interesting anecdotal account...
During the 1950s drought, their crippled, yet enterprising son David planted the entire block in cactus, then burned thorns off the pads and fed the then thornless pads to the hungry cattle. This was a common practice during these difficult years, but David was able to turn this into a successful business. The Russell's daughter and school teacher, Lucille Russell, lived in the home until she was 95. She helped to found the San Saba Episcopal church.
The 2374 square foot home has 3 bedrooms and 2 full bathrooms, or 2 bedrooms and a large office. It is on a very nice corner lot with a beautifully landscaped yard and nice white fence. There is central heat and air, a nice laundry room with sink and countertop and a nice carport. The home has been loved and well maintained through the years. The present owner is a master gardener and done a wonderful job of landscaping the entire lot.
The original wood floors, beveled glass doors and glass doorknobs have been well maintained. There is a claw footed tub in the guest bathroom and many more nice touches. The kitchen and bathrooms have been updated and a large deck was added across the back of the entire house. The front porch is also very inviting, great for afternoon sitting!
This is a very special home and will not last long!
Whitten Real Estate is a licensed broker and abides by all applicable equal housing laws. All the information for this website is informational and is compiled from reliable sources and deemed to be true and correct, but all property listed is subject to changes in price, withdrawal, errors, omissions, condition, or sale without notice. The measurements, square footages, and/or acres are approximate, and the property taxes for each listing are subject to change annually. Whitten Real Estate, their agents, and/or their employees are not to be held liable for any changes or discrepancies.
If there is a non-affiliated Whitten Real Estate broker and/or agent representing the buyer, buyer's representative must be present with the Whitten Real Estate representative at the initial showing of the property to receive an equal share in commission. We appreciate your cooperation and ethical business conduct.
