The Emerald House was originally 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 formally organized in 1891, an election was held to determine the site of the county seat. Emerald lost to a newly developing area that became the town of Ozona, and within a few years many of Emerald's buildings, including this house, were moved there. Emerald eventually disappeared. Until 1981, the house stood on one of Ozona's Main Streets. It was owned by several prominent citizens, including early surveyor E.M. Powell, who gave land for many public buildings and parks, merchant Phil Perner, 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, it remains a significant reminder of the county's heritage.