Historic home for sale

This historic East Texas home could make B&B dreams come true for $350K

The main home has four fireplaces.

Photo courtesy of Realtor.com

If you've ever daydreamed of trading the hustle and bustle of the city for the chance to operate a quiet bed-and-breakfast in an old home in a bucolic place, now's a chance to wake up and do it.

A B&B-ready historical property near Toledo Bend Lake in the East Texas town of Shelbyville has just come on the market. For $350,000 and some elbow grease, it could be purchased, refreshed, and ready to house guests by the time you can say, "bacon and eggs."

“This property would make a perfect bed-and-breakfast,” listing agent Perry Bice, with West Bank Realtors, confirmed.

Here's the backstory: The Bickham House, now on the state registry of historic homes, was built around 1885 after the original home (built in 1850) was razed by fire. The builder, Frederick Lee Bickham, was the stepson of longtime Shelbyville resident J.M. Crawford.

By 1972, the land and the homes on it had passed to N.O. Thomas Jr., who restored the main home and renamed the historical shelter “Welcome Hall.”

The town of Shelbyville was settled about 30 years before the original home was built, by people who came from Tennessee. Originally named Nashville, the Congress of the Republic of Texas changed the name to Shelbyville, after American Revolution hero Isaac Shelby.

By 1843, the town had a Republic of Texas post office. And by 1866, Shelbyville found itself unceremoniously divested of its county seat status as the county records were moved to the center of the county (and hidden) in the middle of the night.

By the time Bickham built his house, Shelbyville was a bustling town of 150 with a church, school, two gins, and a mill. Today, it has a population that hovers around 2,200.

The Bickham House is located at 794 FM 2694 and is a 4,232-square-foot farmhouse with five cottages, a prayer room, and an old drugstore — all sitting on 42 acres of East Texas land. Situated between the town proper and Toledo Bend Lake (and less than 10 minutes from the lake), it would make a great spot for folks who enjoy lake life and fishing.

The three-story farmhouse has four fireplaces, a huge entrance, and a 27-foot-long formal dining room. Combined with the five cottages, the property has a total of 13 bedrooms and 13 baths.

Shelbyville is about 45 minutes from Nacogdoches, a popular East Texas college town and off-the-beaten-path tourist stop.

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A version of this story originally was published on SecondShelters.com, a division of CandysDirt.com.

The home sits on 42 acres near Toledo Bend Lake in piney East Texas.

Photo courtesy of Realtor.com

The home sits on 42 acres near Toledo Bend Lake in piney East Texas.

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Texas leads the nation as the No. 1 best state for homesteading

Photo by Zoe Richardson on Unsplash

Homesteading isn't a pipe dream for those who want to begin that journey in Texas.

If social media is any indicator, homesteading has been one of the hottest trends of 2024. And Texas is leading the charge as the No. 1 best state for homesteading and gardening, according to a new report by First Saturday Lime.

Analysts at First Saturday Lime, an insect repellant company featured on Shark Tank, evaluated the "suitability for sustainable living" across all 50 states based on six factors: Climate, community interest (a.k.a online search trends), gardening resources, farmland costs, and others.

The Lone Star State led the nation with the most farms and ranches on the market and the highest total acreage for sale. As of the study's publication, there were 7,520 total properties for sale, spanning more than 2.19 million acres of land.

Texas also ranked favorably for its farmland affordability. The state came in at No. 9 nationally with its average farmland price coming out to $2,800 per acre, the report said.

For comparison, New Mexico (which ranked No. 11 overall) had the most affordable average price per acre of farmland at just $700 per acre. Massachusetts (No. 48) and Connecticut (No. 42), however, tied for the most expensive price per acre, at $14,300.

Among the three remaining categories in the study, Texas performed the worst for its "gardens on Yelp per capita" rank. The study calculated Texas has 0.30 gardening and community garden establishments on Yelp per capita, placing Texas at No. 49.

Meanwhile, Texas' historically hot weather meant it ranked No. 43 out of all 50 states in the "favorable climate" rank, and the state earned a middle-of-the-road No. 35 rank in the "search interest per capita" category.

"Homesteading and gardening are growing in popularity, but some states provide better opportunities than others," the report's author wrote. "Whether you're after fresh produce or the freedom of self-sufficiency, choosing the right state can make all the difference."

Following behind Texas to complete the top three best states for homesteading and gardening are Oregon (No. 2) and Washington (No. 3), two notoriously rainy West Coast states.

Meanwhile, three East Coast states ranked at the bottom of the list as the worst states for homesteading and gardening: Rhode Island (No. 50), New Jersey (No. 49), and Massachusetts (No. 48).

The top 10 best states for homesteading and gardening are:

No. 1 – Texas
No. 2 – Oregon
No. 3 – Washington
No. 4 – Vermont
No. 5 – Delaware
No. 6 – Arizona
No. 7 – Wyoming
No. 8 – Montana
No. 9 – Hawaii
No. 10 – Colorado

The study sourced its data from Yelp, Google Trends, and the UDSA to determine each state's ranking.

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