Old House Journal

THE RESTORATION OF ancient Oaks

Libby Sartain has fond memories of her grandmother’s stories about Ancient Oaks, the ancestral home in central Texas. Built in 1856, the Greek Revival mansion had been the centerpiece of a cotton plantation established in 1836 by Libby’s great-great-great grandfather, A.W. (Abram Wiley) Hill. Although the family lost the house in the Great Depression, it was never forgotten, as its colorful tales were passed down through generations.

Curious to see what remained, Libby and her husband, David,

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