Submitted story
A group of volunteers came together Saturday to protect and preserve a little bit of history from Jefferson’s past.
Listed with the Library of Congress as the “Rowell Deware Dependency, 202 Dixon Street, Jefferson, Marion County, Texas” the structure had been vacant for decades when owners Jerry and Barbara Cavalier purchased the property 25-years ago.
At one time, it served as living quarters for enslaved African Americans.
According to Jerry, the building was being pulled down by time and vines when he first saw it
“We went to work to save it and bolstered the interior with framework so that the structure would not fall down,” he said.
Noting that the structure was located between two historic houses— The Cavalier House and the Jessie Allen Wise House— Jerry put the word out that he was looking for someone who could remove the structure and rebuild it in a place where the public might be able to access it and learn more about the history of Jefferson.
Local Jeffersonian Jim McIntosh, first contacted Jerry after hearing about the need to save the structure during this years Civil War reenactment.
McIntosh, owns Total Farm and has hosted the reenactment for the past two years.
Located just past the Trestle Bridge and home to the last remaining Confederate Gun Powder magazine.
McIntosh said the vision for Total Farm is to learn how to grow enough food to feed the town and to use the land as a backdrop to bring visitors into our community.
In moving the historical dependency, McIntosh brought together a group of volunteers who dismantle the building in safe way and in a way that would preserve as much of the building as possible.
“Our plan is to rebuild it in a way that is as original as we can and to make it accessible to as many as we can,” he said. “We welcome feedback from all members of our community but are especially wanting input from the black community as to the most respectful way to tell the story of the black lives who made as massive impact on the town of Jefferson and continue to do so.”
To keep up with the developments of the project the public is invited to track the progress on Facebook @totalfarm.