The Parker Home was built by Milton and Mollie Parker in 1885. Originally from Millican, Texas, the Parkers owned land in the Brazos Bottom. Mrs. Parker drew up the plans for the home, and it was constructed by German carpenters from Dallas for a cost of $6,000.
The exterior of the home is covered in wood clapboard siding and is relatively unadorned for a home of this period. A two tiered veranda shelters the front of the house. A unique aspect of this home on the interior is a closed area in each bedroom, an unusual feature in 19th century homes. The house is over 5,000 square feet with seven fireplaces, large formal dining room, study/office, a front parlor receiving room and an adjoining second parlor used for the ladies to gather after meals. This is now the room to relax and watch TV while visiting with family and friends.
The home located at 200 South Congress Street and West 28th Street is an Eastlake Victorian villa with spacious grounds enclosed by the original cast iron fence. The home contains a drawing room, parlor, study, dining room, kitchen and five bedrooms. You will find many of the original pieces of furniture throughout the home. The home also has seven fireplaces each with its own unique design. The Parkers raised 10 children in this home and it remained in the family until 1991.
During the Depression years, the home was in the possession of the second generation of Parkers, Milt and Maggie. During the Depression Maggie Parker opened the home as a boarding house and rented it for social occasions. “Miss Maggie” gave the home a new name, “The Oaks”. The third generation of Parkers, Katie Parker Bernath and her husband Robert lived in this home from 1958 until 1991. The home was entered in the National Register of Historic Places in 1987.
The home was purchased in 1999 and lovingly restored to its previous state of glory.