“October 15th will now be known as Littlejohn Farm House Day,” proclaimed Fairfield Mayor Kenneth Hughes during the official Open House this weekend on the grounds of the Freestone County Historical Museum.
Freestone County Historical Museum board member, Don Awalt, tells the crowd about the work and research that went into bring the Littlejohn Farm House reproduction to the museum grounds.
The event celebrated both the work and the historic research completed to provide Freestone County with a showcase reproduction of the 1915 farm house from the Shanks community.
Descendant Sherry Matthews talks about the passion that the late architect Dick Clark had for the Littlejohn home.
Architect Dick Clark of Austin first saw the century-old Littlejohn House in 1995 when he attended a funeral at Shanks Cemetery with his longtime companion and Littlejohn descendant, Sherry Mathews.
Dick was immediately impressed with the architecuture of the house, designed by someone who had never formally studied architecture, and decided it should be preserved. Although he died in 2017 of leukenia, Dick left funds to continue efforts to save the house.
Several of the original Littlejohns were musical, and their parlor often hosted Saturday night dances.
Preservation architect Mark A. Thacker helped guide efforts, eventually determining that less than 15% of the original structure could actually be moved.
The Freestone County Historical Museum Board agreed to an authentic reproduction hosted on the grounds, using as much of the vintage wood as possible.
Campbell Custom Homes of Bullard finished the house in 2020 under the supervision of Kevin Hester and James Stanley.
Kitchen floors, walls, doors, and cabinets were crafted of century-old longleaf pine, cypress, and oak carefully removed from the original house before it was taken down.
Make time to visit the Freestone County Historical Museum to tour the beautiful home. The museum is open Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
(Photos by Karen Leidy)
