Henderson TX is a small, dynamic city located on Highway 259 about thirty miles north of Nacogdoches.
It is filled with lovely old homes and quiet, tree lined streets. The city is proud of its heritage and the Rust County Heritage Association. Saved one of Henderson’s most beautiful old homes from destruction.
The Howard -Dickinson House at 501 S Main St. In Henderson TX. Was built in 1855 by two brothers, David and Logan Howard, who came from Henderson from their native Virginia. The brothers were builders and brick Masons. Soon after their arrival in the community, they bought a piece of property on which they constructed the house. The brick was made there on the property, fired in a kiln constructed purpose expressly for that purpose.
The house was a showplace for its day. The pillared porch is ascented with galleried balcony and there is a portion with pillars as well. There are six fireplaces, built right into the brick walls. Floor to ceiling windows afor give maximum ventilation for the day. Few East Texas homes had basements, but the Howards, accustomed as they were to colder Virginia winters, designed their home to include a basement which was 3/4 underground. The original house was built of red brick that was painted yellow on the outside and plastered on the interior. There were six large rooms, two on each level including the basement.
When the Howard brothers built the house, David brought his wife Martha to live there. They had 10 children. Logan was a bachelor, also resided in the house with the family. In fact, he outlived David and remained in the house with his brother’s widow and the children until his death in 1905. At that time, Martha Howard sold the place to a Mrs Catherine Dickinson. In 1905,, When the House was nearly sixty years old, Dickinson had a frame addition added on the building. There are only two floors in this portion, as no addition was made to the basement, which is kept as it was originally. A back bedroom has since been converted into a kitchen.
Dr Behennen and Mrs Dickinson enlarged the house in order to make it into a boarding house to help support herself and her two children, Catherine and Brad. When the widow died, she left the house to Catherine, a spinster, stipulating the house would belong to her only as long as she remained single. If she did marry, the property was to pass to Brad, who was married and had a daughter.
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Catherine never married. She finally just closed up the house and left in 1950. No one knows where she went. All sorts of theories were projected at the time. Did she elope? Was she just tired of taking care of the old house?
Whatever happened to Catherine? The house became dilapidated. Abandoned and considered a haunted house in the neighborhood of Henderson. A neighbor purchased the house with the intention of tearing it down, but as years went by, it just never happened, even though the land was zoned for business.
Today, the building is restored by a Ladies Historic Association. And is used for events and meetings. It is also believed to be one very haunted building. The old pipe organ that was once at a university was returned back to the house and plays on its own. Another old lady in white seems to wander the hallways. Lights turn on and off. All of the typical things that happen in a haunted building happen in this old mansion in Henderson, Texas. It’s a perfect place for a ghost investigation.