Granted a bounty of Navarro County land for his participation in the Battle of San Jacinto on April 21, 1836, cattleman Britton Dawson (1817-1905) settled here in 1847. He occupied a three-room cabin before erecting this two-and-one-half-story Greek Revival house in 1858-59. Built of cypress hauled by oxcart from the Texas Gulf Coast, the structure has an unusual suspended gallery on the second floor. A residence for Dawson's large family, it also served as a stage stop. Land for the Dawson townsite was donated in 1881 by two of Dawson's sons, Dave and Henry.