Emerald House, The

Although the early history of this structure is unrecorded, it is known that the house originally was 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 organized formally in 1891, an election was held to determine the site of the county seat. Emerald lost its bid for the seat of government to a newly developing area that became the town of Ozona. Within a few years, many of Emerald's buildings, including this house, were moved to the new county seat. As a result, Emerald eventually disappeared.

Until 1981, when it was moved to this site, the Emerald house was located on one of Ozona's Main Streets. It had been owned by many of the town's prominent citizens, including E. M. Powell, an early area surveyor who gave the land for many of the town's public buildings and parks; pioneer merchant Phil Perner; newspaper 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, the Emerald House is a significant reminder of the County's heritage.