As I was driving on Highway 6 in Hitchcock, Texas, in May 2004, I noticed a Texas Historical Commission subject marker marking Stringfellow Orchards. I stopped to read it and was immediately drawn to the story. Henry Martyn Stringfellow was a world-renowned horticulturalist who started his business in Galveston after the Civil War and eventually moved it 12 miles inland to Hitchcock in the 1880s.

I drove down the overgrown driveway to take a closer look at the property. Sitting in the center of the almost 9.5-acre estate was a 1.5-story, wood-framed folk Victorian residence with Queen Anne form. The house was in terrible shape and had been hidden from the public by the overgrown vegetation. The house, barn, and other structures seemed to have been swallowed by dense foliage.

Re-Animating the Orchards

As I stood there looking over the property, I thought to myself, “What an amazing place! It would be great to own a place like this and to restore it.” I had been bitten by the preservation bug, and I began researching the property.

On December 15, 2005, I closed on the historic property, and the rebirth of Stringfellow Orchards began. I immediately cleared the grounds and prepared for a community celebration. I hired contractors to repair the foundation of the house, replace its roof, replace rotten wood around its exterior, and paint it. My wife Doris and I hosted our first Juneteenth event at the site in 2006.

With over 500 people in attendance, the celebration was a great success. We thought this would lead to tours of the site and wedding rentals and planned to use the proceeds to help offset the cost of the restoration. Over the next few years, many events were indeed held at the site, but given the discounted rental fees that attracted business and the money spent on advertising, we were unable to generate enough revenue to cover even their cost, let alone the restoration.

The Challenges of Stewardship

Then in 2008 we were hit with Hurricane Ike and the financial market collapse, and our dream turned into a nightmare. Everything that could go wrong did go wrong. When we bought the property in 2005, the house was filled with furniture, and the barn and sheds contained old farm equipment. During the economic downturn we sold much of that furniture and equipment. We were forced to sell it cheap, but it helped us make it through. We also continued to host events and share the amazing story of Stringfellow Orchards. Like many others suffering through 2009 and 2010, we exhausted our savings and most of our retirement accounts.

We eventually listed the property for sale, but did not receive any serious offers. We had invested so much of our time, talent, and treasure that we could not just give the property away to a low bidder.

A Vision for the Future

But the impact of the project is measured in much more than dollars and cents—it is our goal to help grow people as they visit the site. What was once an eyesore for the city is a vibrant part of the downtown area that even draws local photographers and artists. The property has been featured on HGTV, Texas Country Reporter, PBS with Lidia Bastianich, and as part of a documentary about the Stringfellows, as well as in several magazines, including national publications This Old House and Black Enterprise.

For us, this decade has been on-the-job training. We entered this project with no experience in preservation, so we did not even know the right questions to ask to get help. We just believed that, if we continued to do what we felt was right and give back to our community, everything would work out. Sometimes it felt as though our work was in vain, but all of the sacrifice is paying off.