Emily Leonard for her stewardship of the 1874 Robert Watt Tannahill Homestead at 9741 Verna Drive North.
Emily Leonard purchased the Tannahill Homestead in 1993 and her love affair with this local and state landmark continues today. Built by Scotsman Robert W. Tannahill and his wife Mary Catherine (Smallwood) on a 320-acre tract, Tannahill drew his own house plans and hired local day loborers to dig the large stones that face the house from nearby Live Oak Creek. A Tarrant County judge, Tannahill used his home as a Stagecoach Station, the first stop west of Fort Worth, as a Post Office for Circuit Riders to change horses, as a community center, and for those needing medical care.
The Tannahill House is a Historic & Cultural Landmark of the City of Fort Worth and it received a State Historical Marker in 1979. Features loved by Emily are the 18 to 20 inch thick stonewalls and the large stone thresholds at the front ad back doors. Other original features are a newel post at the bottom of the staircase, and a few doorknobs and locks.
Serendipitously, Emily was able to acquire a few items that were original to the house, like Mrs. Tannahill’s “flour saver” with its large bin, breadboard, and rolling pin. She has embellished the house with an antique iron fence from her family’s ranch, and in 2014 a beautiful 350 year-old live oak tree on the property was designated a “Famous Tree of Texas” and a “Fort Worth Heritage Tree.” Furnished with lovely antiques, including a Grandfather clock that was built in 1874, the year the house was built, Emily Leonard lovingly stewards the Robert W. Tannahill Homestead forward in time.
Photography by Bruce E. Maxwell.
