Wheeler House
Honey Grove, Fannin County, Texas
Marker Inscription
First Classic Revival house in area. Has unusual stairway. Built 1852-1854, with slave labor. Fifth house on Bonham-Paris stagecoach road. Chimney stones and lumber hand-hewn. Joists were pegged rather than nailed. Sold in 1884 by Wiley Hulsey, builder, to confederate veteran Peyton wheeler and wife Martha Jane Hamil. Their descendants have erected this marker. Recorded Texas Historic Landmark - 1965
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
Built between 1852 and 1854 with slave labor, the Wheeler House was the area's first Classic Revival dwelling, its lumber and chimney stones hand-hewn and its joists pegged rather than nailed β the fifth house along the Bonham-to-Paris stagecoach road. Builder Wiley Hulsey sold it in 1884 to Confederate veteran Peyton Wheeler and his wife Martha Jane Hamil, whose descendants later placed this marker.
Why it matters
The house stands as a tangible record of both antebellum craftsmanship and the enslaved labor that made such fine frontier homes possible, a history its own inscription does not hide.
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Related people
- Β· Wiley Hulsey
- Β· Peyton Wheeler
- Β· Martha Jane Hamil
Themes & tags
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