Although the early history of this structure is unrecorded, it is known that the house originally was built in the townsite of Emerald (9 miles east). Established in 1889 as Crockett County's first settlement, Emerald was the colonization project of railroad agent T.A. Wilkinson. When Crockett County was organized formally in 1891, an election was held to determine the site of the county seat. Emerald lost its bid for the seat of government to a newly developing area that became the town of Ozona. Within a few years, many of Emerald's buildings, including this house, were moved to the new county seat. As a result, Emerald eventually disappeared.

Until 1981, when it was moved to this site, the Emerald house was located on one of Ozona's Main Streets. It had been owned by many of the town's prominent citizens, including E.M. Powell, an early area surveyor who gave the land for many of the town's public buildings and parks; pioneer merchant Phil Perner; newspaper publisher W.A. Cochran; ranchers George L. Harrell and J.W. Friend, and E.B. Deland.

As one of Crockett County's earliest structures and a survivor of its first settlement, the Emerald House is a significant reminder of the County's heritage.

The first platted town in Crockett County, Emerald was founded in 1889 by Fort Worth & Rio Grande Railway Immigration Agent T.W. Wilkinson. It was to be an agricultural shipping point on a planned extension of the F.W.& R.G. Publicized from Maine to Minnesota for mild climate and fertile land, it acquired a post office on April 8, 1890. Mail came from San Angelo via Knickerbocker (50 miles northeast). Charles Hatch and E.C. Moore were successive postmasters.

In August 1890 the town was in the path of a prairie fire. Although valiant work turned the fire, it was visible for two nights before and two nights after it circled the town. Also in 1890, the county's first school session was held in a tent in Emerald by Mrs. John Noyes. After a frame schoolhouse was built, Mrs. John Ketchpaw taught there. Miss Ada Williams taught the last school term in the spring of 1893.

Confident it would be the county seat, Emerald nevertheless lost in the election of 1891 to the E.M. Powell water well site (now Ozona). Wilkinson protested, to no avail. After the residents began to move to the Powell Well, Emerald Post Office closed on December 7, 1891. The townsite thus became one of the many colonization failures in West Texas.

Born in San Antonio; descendant of Frenchman who settled in Mexico before 1714. Always a civic leader, helped found first public school in San Antonio, 1812. Went (1821) with Juan M. Veramendi to escort Austin Colony leaders to Bexar, and ever after befriended Stephen F. Austin and Anglo-American settlers. Seguin was Postmaster of San Antonio, 1823-35, and deputy for Texas in National Congress of Mexico, 1823-24. After Santa Anna came to power as liberal (1831), then made himself dictator, Seguin joined neighbors in sending him "San Antonio Remonstrances" (protests) in 1832, and called an opposition convention in 1834. Expelled from the Postmastership by Santa Anna's brother-in-law, Gen. Cos, and made to flee from San Antonio on foot, he walked 33 miles to his ranch, Casa Blanca, where he recruited men to help patriots win siege of Bexar (Dec. 1835) and expel Gen. Cos. Early in 1836 he sent spies to the Nueces to watch for Santa Anna. He lodged David Crockett in his home, and provisioned the Alamo before the final siege. Persecuted by newcomers to Texas, he refused to go to Mexico with his son Juan, but with his wife Josefa Becerra retired to Casa Blanca (located in present Wilson County), where he died and was buried in 1857.

A Baptist Church, led by pioneer James T. Heplin, was meeting in Crockett as early as 1846. A second Baptist congregation was formally organized in 1850. Named Mt. Zion Baptist Church of Crockett, the congregation built a sanctuary on El Camino Real, now known as East Houston Avenue. A frame structure, completed about 1874 and known as Crockett Baptist Church at North 7th Street and East Houston, served the congregation until 1910. In that year the church, renamed First Baptist Church of Crockett, began construction of a new brick sanctuary. While it was under construction, worship services were held in the county courthouse. The new church building was completed by 1912. On December 26, 1946, the sanctuary was destroyed by fire. Rather than rebuild on the same site, the congregation elected to relocate. Services were held in the high school until 1949, when a new church building was completed at East Goliad Street and South 8th Street. An education building, fellowship hall, and other facilities were later added to the church property. First Baptist Church has served its community for over a century and has been an important part of Crockett history.

The earliest recorded Baptist activity in Lovelady was a Union Sunday School that was organized by 1876. Although an exact date for the formation of a Baptist congregation has not been established, the minutes of the 1879 meeting of the Neches River Baptist Association mention the Rev. J.L. McKee as a representative from the Lovelady Baptist Church.

In 1881, the trustees of the Houston & Great Northern Railroad donated land at this site to the Baptist Church and the Knights of Honor. A two-story frame building soon was constructed. The lodge occupied the top floor, and the Baptist Church held services on the first story. A second church building was erected in 1909 during the pastorate of The Rev. T.N. Mainer, who had been ordained from this church four years earlier. Some of the early pastors of the First Baptist Church of Lovelady, including J.F. James, J.B. Armstrong, and W.M. Gaddy, also held services in surrounding towns such as Pennington and Crockett. Throughout its history, the church has provided significant service and leadership to the community. Descendants of some of the pioneer members continue to worship here.

Members of this congregation met for about two years before they were formally organized in 1901 under the leadership of the Reverend Harry Hamilton. A wood sanctuary built in 1901 served the congregation until 1949, when a larger brick church edifice was erected. A fellowship hall was added in 1960. Membership dropped in 1975, and ministerial students conducted worship services. By 1979 church membership tripled and a new fellowship hall was built. The congregation supports many domestic and foreign mission programs, and continues to serve the community.

City's first congregation and one of the oldest in Texas. Formed 1839 with Henderson Palmer as pastor. Noted Minister Littleton Fowler was presiding elder at organization. Methodists shared a structure with Crockett's other denominations until erecting a frame building on this site in 1864. The church was host to East Texas Annual Conferences on 1862, 1871, 1877, 1888. Present sanctuary, built in 1901-1902 of brick fired at site, is oldest extant house of worship in city. First sessions of newly-merged Texas Annual Conferences were held here, December 3-8, 1902.

This congregation was organized in 1891 as the Methodist Episcopal Church, South, and boasted 56 members in its first year. The Rev. J. David Crockett served as its first pastor. A church structure built in 1891 was destroyed by a tornado in 1893. A second structure completed by the congregation that year was replaced by this late Victorian-Era Queen Anne style building in 1912. It features a symmetrical form with a central gable and flanking bell towers. The church has sponsored an annual harvest festival to fund missionaries throughout the world, including Japan and Africa.

Founded about 1881 as sideline in mercantile store of W.E. Mayes (1837-1915), who aided customers by keeping cash and currency in his safe, issuing loans and credits. In 1892 H.F. Moore (1854-1926) came here from Galveston to charter First National Bank, with Mayes transferring his deposits. This bank absorbed (1904) Farmers and Merchants National Bank (founded 1901). Presidents: Mayes (1892-93); J.C. Wooters (1893-1904); Moore (1904-26); Arch Baker (1926-43); Moore's sons, Donald G. (1943-44) and Phil C. (1944-50); J.L. Burton (1950-68); Henry M. Ellis (1968- ).

This church was established in 1854 by an act of the East Texas Presbytery. The Rev. W.C. Dunlap was organizer of the congregation and served as its pastor for two years. Members met in a Baptist Church until the completion of their first building on N. Fourth Street. In 1886 a new building was constructed at this location. It burned on Christmas Day, 1926, and was replaced by the present structure. The church is also known as Tenney Memorial in honor of The Rev. S.F. Tenney who served as pastor for 54 years, 1971-1925.