R. F. and Minta Pool House
Cameron, Milam County, Texas
Marker Inscription
R. F. and Minta Pool House Developer Jefferson D. Hefley completed this house in 1902 as part of his Hefley Heights subdivision. R.F. and Minta (Fraim) pool purchased it the same year. R.F. came to Cameron in 1881 and opened a confectionary stand, which grew to become a department store business. He later founded the Pool Manufacturing Company, a large operation with textile factories across Texas. Subsequent owners of the house included Milam County Tax Collector A.W. Tabor, as well as several other merchants and civic leaders. The house has functioned as a private residence, apartments and a bed and breakfast but still retains its original Queen Anne styling. Features include spindle frieze and balustrade, corner tower with bracketed eaves and fishscale shingling. Recorded Texas Historic Landmark - 2002
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
Developer Jefferson D. Hefley finished this Queen Anne house in 1902 as part of his Hefley Heights subdivision, and R.F. and Minta Pool bought it that same year. Pool had come to Cameron in 1881 and built a confectionary stand into a department store, later founding the Pool Manufacturing Company with textile factories across Texas. Passing through the hands of a tax collector, merchants, and civic leaders, the house has served as residence, apartments, and bed-and-breakfast while keeping its spindled trim, corner tower, and fishscale shingles.
Why it matters
The Pool house reflects the entrepreneurial rise of a small-town Texas merchant into a statewide manufacturer during the boom years around 1900.
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Related people
- · R.F. Pool
- · Minta Fraim Pool
- · Jefferson D. Hefley
Themes & tags
Nearby & related markers
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