The core of the house was a one-room structure of locally quarried limestone blocks built by John S. Harrison and his wife, Martha Jane, in 1852 after John had moved from Roane County, Tennessee, to Texas in 1833 and he and Martha had come to the Selma area in 1852. A small room on the north side is believed to have been added in the mid to late 1800's, and the two limestone block rooms served many purposes typical of small homes of the day, including storage, living space, a bedroom, and a nursery. The Schmid and Geyer families bought the property from the Harrisons in 1854, and a Schmid family cemetery was established at the back of the original 127 acres near Kincaid Cemetery, where both Schmid and Geyer family members are buried. The Stautzenbergers purchased the house in 1894 and remained for 11 years. The Friesenhahn family bought the property in 1905, and Harry Albrecht, a highly skilled local carpenter hired by them, built the wood-framed additions that now surround the original stone core; an ornate porch wrapped around the south and east sides, a separate outdoor kitchen stood near the west side, the east porch was later removed, and the attic once served as a sleeping loft reached by an exterior staircase. The home continued to receive additions and renovations between 1905 and 1960, and the Friesenhahn family occupied it for 96 years until the City of Selma purchased it in 2001. Ownership was John S. and Martha Jane Harrison from 1852 to 1854, Martin Schmid and Wilhelm Geyer from 1854 to 1894, Hugo, Andreas and Armin Stautzenberger from 1894 to 1905, and Henry and August Friesenhahn from 1905 to 2001.