We moved to Rock Church in the fall of 1981 after selling our home — "The Old Higgenbothem Estate" off the Stephenville town square — to Dr. and Mrs. JOHNSON.  He was a professor in animal husbandry at Tarleton State.  They owned Rock Church at that time and offered to rent the "home" to us until we could find a new place in Fort Worth.

Dr. JOHNSON had updated the home using imported Mexican tiles throughout the huge downstairs.  The original wood flooring was used as ceiling in the living room/dining room area.  At either end of the main living room/dining room was an enormous fireplace with an opening of about five feet high and about four feet wide.  As a young child, you could easily walk around the area and play.  The fireplace was trimmed by local stones that were full of fossils and extended out several feet on either side of the fireplace and up to the ceiling, making the fireplace a massive focal point at each end of the room.  The downstairs had two large cedar posts centered in the living room/dining room area as supports.  

The JOHNSONs also added a half-bath downstairs in the front-left corner of the house and next to that was an elevator.  Also downstairs was a large kitchen with modern equipment and a laundry room with a staircase leading upstairs into the master bath.  Off the kitchen was a large patio accessed by two French doors in the kitchen and off the laundry room was also a large patio.

Upstairs had three bedrooms and two baths.  The master bedroom was huge with a set of closets running the entire width of the home.  The master bath was just off the bedroom and had an atrium at one end with a skylight.  The toilet and tub were raised about 3 feet to 4 feet off the floor making the toilet a true throne.  Just off the master bedroom was a deck and stairs leading back down to the laundry side patio.

We enjoyed the windows.  Dr. JOHNSON had kept the original casings, making the windows about 18 inches deep inside and out.  The walls downstairs were rock, but upstairs in the bedrooms and bath, he had put sheet rock.  Across the upstairs, where you see all the windows, was a long hall going the full length of the house.  Each room was located to the back side of the house, keeping the front wall near the windows, stone. 

The yard had been fenced before we came, but the property went far beyond the fence.  The cemetery out front was visited daily, but the Methodist church had only one meeting a year followed by dinner on the grounds.  The wood swinging bridge was to the left (facing the house) and you had to go down a slope to reach it.  Many wild animals roamed the area, but the most common sight was all the rattlesnakes.  Huge snakes.

We met only a couple of folks while there.  There were not too many very close by.  I was teaching at Glen Rose at the time and my husband was driving into Fort Worth, so our time was spent running.  The little town of Tolar was of interest as well.  The one grocery store had fresh chickens only on Friday.  They were placed in ice water in a large wash tub.  You just pointed at the one you wanted and the man would wrap it up.  Slabs of beef hanging from the ceiling were selected in the same manner.  You also needed to bring your own container to haul home your eggs.

        
[ Click on photos to enlarge ]

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Generously contributed by
SHARON ROBERTSON
~ Coldspring, Texas ~

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This page last updated 25 Apr 2005.










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