East Texas Senator’s house moved to museum status | News

CHANDLER, TX (KLTV)- The Chandler Historical Society wanted a museum. The city of Chandler provided the property, but there was the problem of a building.

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View photos of the move

That problem was solved with the donation of the historic Yarborough house, the birthplace of Senator Ralph W. Yarborough. Senator Yarborough backed civil right legislation in the fifties. His name is on every major piece of legislation concerning education, civil rights, the environment and health care written between 1957 and 1971. He was sworn in as Senator in that house in Chandler.

Of course there was one more issue: The property and the house were miles apart, but not for long.

After several delays men in bucket trucks got a bird's eye view of one of the biggest mobile homes they've ever seen. Folks on the ground treated the house like a parade float. Maybe the movers should have thrown candy. Suddenly the parade came to a screeching halt at the stoplight.

Of course, it was never intended to move around on wheels, so that's where these guys come in: East Texas Structural Movers. They're used to maneuvering really big things through tight places.

Scott Shultz said," The building weighs probably 180,000 pounds. We were 25' 11" tall, and we're pleased with the way it moved."

The house is more than 110 years old, so the move took some time and backed up traffic for a couple hours. It was a well-choreographed dance of plywood roadway placement, stalled and moving traffic, and live-wire lifting.

Cindy McKay with the Chandler Historical Society said," It's one of the last buildings that's here in town that is part of old Chandler, so this is going to mean a lot for us. We'll have a place for people to put their artifacts. It's going to be a place to be: A place to come and do some time traveling."

The Yarborough House was finishing up its traveling at McCain Park in West Chandler.

"It went easier getting on the location than we thought. It was a whole lot of work, but it could be a lot worse," Scott said.

It was a struggle getting the house parked

"It breaks my heart to see buildings torn down that could be used for other purposes," said Cindy.

And thanks to the City of Chandler and the Chandler Historical Society, everyone can share in the importance of Chandler's past, and the life of Senator Ralph W. Yarborough.

The Chandler Historical Society hopes to have the museum open by mid-October. If you would like to help with the funding of the museum, contact the city of Chandler.

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