The Orange County Historical Commission will dedicate a Texas Historical Marker at 10:30 a.m. Thursday, May 22, at the home of Beth and Kenneth Wheeler, 1008 Pine Avenue. The public is invited and the couple will host a short open house and serve refreshments after the ceremony.
The house was built in 1889 on a lot in Orange’s first subdivision. The Wheelers spent years rebuilding the house in the Old Orange Historic District with inspiration from a house in New Orleans Garden District.
The marker will be the first in Orange County in eight years. The Texas Historical Commission had to suspend issuing state markers for five years because the foundry the made the markers closed. Even with a new foundry, it took two years after the application was approved by historians that the cast marker arrived.
The dedication program will include a city proclamation from Mayor Larry Spears Jr. Also, local historian Judge Jerry Pennington, who researched the history of the house for the state marker committee, will tell the story of the house and how it fits into local history.
Social Media