Scott-Barker History & Relocation
Scott-Barker Home
The Scott-Barker House is the oldest surviving structure in Melissa, Collin County, Texas, and a Recorded Texas Historic Landmark since 1999. It is also recognized as one of the few buildings spared in the devastating F4 tornado of 1921 that destroyed much of the town. The house was restored in the 1990s and designated a Recorded Texas Historic Landmark. In 2024, a $2.4 million bond proposal to rehabilitate it for civic use failed, raising concerns about its future. In March 2025, the City of Melissa agreed to move the house about 850 feet northeast to 3105 Central Street for use as a single-family residence, ensuring its long-term preservation. The relocation was completed in late 2025
Yale Logging Camp History & Relocation
Yale Logging Camp
The Yale Camp Historic District is being nominated to the Arkansas Register of Historic Places with local significance under Criterion A for its associations with the lumber industry and forestry
management in Ashley County. Built in 1946, the Yale Camp allowed students from Yale University’s Forest Management program, which was the country’s premier Forestry Management program, to have a hands-on educational experience with the Crossett Lumber Company in Arkansas, a program that continued until its closure in 1966. However, the legacy of the Yale Camp program was that it aided in the development of forestry management as a profession in the South, something that really didn’t exist prior to the Yale Camp program’s establishment.
Finally, Joe found L.W. Oney House Moving in Marshall, Texas, a family company with expertise in moving historical buildings.
“They actually chiseled the fireplace off the foundation, put steel supports through the chimney, jacked the whole building up and assembled a giant trailer underneath,” Joe says. “They estimated that the fireplace and chimney alone weighed 50,000 pounds.”
The Arkansas Department of Transportation and local utility companies agreed to help the buildings reach their destination safely. Pam and Gloria worked out the permits, fees and payments for each part of the camp’s journey.
More than a dozen bucket trucks lifted power lines at approximately 50 crossings along the four-mile journey, which took seven hours to complete.
Relocation of the Humble Oil Station in Jefferson, Texas
In April 2021, a historic Humble Oil & Refining Company service station in Jefferson, Texas, was moved from its longtime downtown location to a new site just south of Big Cypress Bayou on S Polk Street/FM 2208. The relocation was prompted by plans for new downtown development, which required the building’s removal from its original downtown spot.
The Jefferson Humble Oil station had stood in downtown for over 110 years, serving as a gas station, later the Marion County Chamber of Commerce office, and most recently as Patio Pizza. The 1940–1950-era stucco-clad building, with its distinctive Humble Oil branding, was recognized for its historical significance.
After being moved, the station was restored to preserve its architectural features and historical character. The restored building is intended to serve the community in multiple ways, including as a reminder of the petroleum industry’s role in Jefferson’s transportation history. It will also be integrated into the new downtown area, combining its historical value with modern community use.
This relocation is part of a broader effort to repurpose historic structures in Jefferson, ensuring their preservation while adapting them to meet current needs.