In the Fading Away topic, we will spotlight buildings and other historic Titus County treasures that are in danger of being demolished or otherwise fading into history unless action is taken to preserve them.
We feel that to date far too little effort has been made to preserve many of Titus County's historic buildings and other items because no one has brought their situation to the public's attention and no concerted efforts have been made to save them.
Mary and I have joined the Titus County Historical Commission, where I serve as Vice-Chairman. We would like to encourage others to join, also. All meetings are open to the public and visitors are always welcome. Notices of meetings are posted at the Titus County Court House, published in the Update section of the Mt. Pleasant Daily Tribune, and posted under the Titus County Historical Commission topic of our website.
Our website is a private venture that is not connected with any organized group or governmental agency. Opinions expressed on this website, and selections made for this topic, are solely my own. Unfortunately, as only two individuals, there is little else that Mary and I can do personally to insure that these items can be saved. However, we hope that by raising public awareness that we can create community interest and involvement of other Titus County residents in preserving these fleeting parts of our past.
We have found property owners and government officials to be very open to historic preservation, but many times they have not been informed of the overall community's desire to see a building preserved until it was too late.
I would like to make it perfectly clear that I do not believe in governmental regulation of most historic properties. Only a rare few historic properties of national significance deserve this treatment. I feel strongly that if you own a piece of property, it is your right to do what you choose with it. I am against the formation of historic districts, which make it necessary for property owners to go before a board of "history nuts" to beg their permission to change a roof or repaint their own house. That right comes with the deed, not from someone else's "permission."
If a property owner wants to obtain a Texas Historical Marker for their property, which carries with it restrictions on further modifications which can be made to the building, I would assist them in obtaining one. It's their property, and they have the right to do so. If you later want to buy the property, you know about the restrictions before purchasing the property and have the right to buy it or walk away.
There's a major difference between the two scenarios, because the latter preserves the owner's and buyer's rights to control their own private property, while the former relinquishes the owner's right to utilize his property as he wishes to a governmental board which doesn't have a dime invested in it.
However, I believe that property owners, concerned citizens, and governments can work together to maintain and preserve historic properties in any way that is feasible and practical without infringing on the property owner's basic rights.
When it comes to buildings, historic preservation must be considered in light of economic realities. It's one thing to save and restore a structure, it's another to pay for it. The only way to absolutely assure a structure's preservation and continuted life is to have it pay its own way.
There is a real need for a group of concerned citizens to come up with new and modern uses for several of our historic buildings that will allow them to be preserved and restored, yet can return the cost of doing so over a period of time by being given a new life that will generate the necessary funds to do so.
If you know of a historic building or other Titus County Treasure that should be added to our list, please let us know!
Click on a blue link below or a blue number on the menu above to read more about Titus County buildings and artifacts that are in danger of being lost. Then roll up your sleeves and see what you can do to help!
