You have done an incredible job of restoring and renovating a precious piece of "time". Something once alive with laughter, learning and precious times. -is now alive again !
-Arlington, TX


Miss Lissia's Plantation Bed and Breakfast has a delightful and charming history. One of frontier beginnings, it is an excellent example of a West Texas one room schoolhouse. It is reminiscent of the romantic west and a distinct illustration of a pioneer's dream and vision to tame a rugged and unforgiving land. It is believed that it was a former homesteaders cabin prior to being a Post Victorian schoolhouse. It's original size was 16 X 20 and remnants of it's fireplace were found in the attic. It's antique beadboard came from a lumber mill in Westlake, LA known as the Lock Moore Mill, that opened shortly after the close of the Civil War, in 1867. The 16 X 20 portion of the house was believed to have been occupied by the owner's ancestor pioneer cattleman, H. Q. Lyles. It was originally constructed of boxed and stripped siding, also known as board and batten siding. Easy to construct, somewhat economical, and largely influenced by English architecture. It is an excellent 
example of an early English cottage and constructed of antique heart pine.

(Antique heart pine is a historical legacy within itself. Heart pine today can now only be found if extracted from 18th and 19th century buildings or homes. Antique heart pine was structurally very sound and aesthetically beautiful to the eye with a tight grain pattern and few knots. Antique heart pine came from trees that were usually 200 to 600 years old. Original untouched virgin forests from Virginia to Texas supplied early settlers with an abundant supply of this now "heirloom" quality lumber. Early colonists preferred this most prized lumber to erect their homes.) 

The frontier cabin was most likely converted into a schoolhouse by area ranchers who saw the need to educate their children. Walnut Schoolhouse was originally located on Little Walnut Creek in 1911, in Coke County, TX. This circa 1890 English cottage was extended another 10 feet sometime around 1917. Maybe it was necessary to enlarge to add a cloakroom. Previous students recall it having a cloakroom and an outhouse. During the restoration process, it appears that the board and batten siding was whitewashed. At one point, the strips from the boxed and stripped siding were removed and clapboard siding added to the exterior. Another addition, was that of the beadboard interior, which lines the walls in a horizontal fashion. Also, noted is that the beadboard appeared to have been previously used with multiple oddly spaced nail holes. It operated as a one room schoolhouse possibly as early as 1908. It also served the community of Coke County as a voting center and as a simple country church. In 1932, the Walnut School District # 25 consolidated with that of Water Valley I. S. D. Later, in the 1940's it was moved to Water Valley, TX . Walnut School was later used as a teacherage, extra classroom, music room and storage building for athletic equipment. Our 480 square foot plantation cottage is quaint and simply lovely. In 2003, the well-preserved one room was purchased by silent auction, relocated, and lovingly restored, by Derek & Michelle Doss & family. They have preserved a gracious heritage and hold onto a place, in the timeless Texas frontier...

Miss Lissia's shows us the English influence and features board and batten pine siding, a simple wooden frame, and steeply pitched gables. Board and batten structures * "brought an element of grace and spoke of a restless people moving ever farther into the wilderness." A 19th century period example of English style architecture, simply picturesque on the Texas prairie...

Courtesy Tom Green County History Book
Turner Articles-West TX Collection 
* Wm. Pierson Jr., American Buildings and Their Architects

"As For Me and My House, We Will Serve the Lord." 24:15 Joshua