Cindy Boykin

History in the remaking… The Andrew Wetsel house has seen better days. Built in 1910 near downtown, the home’s Louisiana Cypress wood planks were once smooth and grand. The wide windows, sweeping porch, and decorative gables gave the house distinction—as well it should, since it belonged to the town’s finest carpenter and furniture maker.

Fast forward to the 1980s. Life in downtown Plano was far different. New businesses and city expansion claimed old houses that had been abandoned or neglected. Such was the fate of the Wetsel house, until sisters Dorothy Mitchell Johnston and Peggy Mitchell offered to have the home moved onto their family’s property on 16th Street.

Peggy, who restored and ran an old inn in Glen Rose, hoped to restore the Wetsel house, but she was never able to do so. Years passed, and the house void of plumbing and electricity sat vacant. By 2010, the city finally told the sisters the house would have to be razed if not brought up to code.

This summer, local residents with an interest in preserving historical homes stepped up to save it. Chief among them was Clint Haggard. He spearheaded the effort to “mothball” the house—taking measures to preserve it by applying primer, boarding windows, repairing rotting wood, protecting it from water leaks, etc.—until a buyer purchases it.

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With neighbors, volunteers, and even the City of Plano’s property standards specialist Gary Church out there helping, the scraping and priming effort was completed in a couple of weekends. The next big project is a new roof at an estimated cost of $8,500.

Haggard hopes that the fresh coat of primer provides “a white canvas” for someone with imagination. On a larger scale, he hopes Plano will continue to protect and celebrate its historical homes and landmarks.

“Not everyone understands why saving this house is important,” he says, “but for me, if you discard old houses that add character to a community, you won’t have a sense of history.

“And [these projects] build a sense of community. That first weekend we were out there painting, it was like a barn raising. Neighbors came out to help—people who live two doors down from each other and didn’t really know one another. I got more e-mails telling me how great it was to meet people out there working on the house. That kind of spirit is what we all look for. I believe people are thirsty for it.”

If you would like to make a tax-deductible contribution toward the project or volunteer to help, contact the nonprofit organization Plano Conservancy for Historic Preservation at 972.941.2117.