Mark In Texas History: Dean Keener Crim Home Kilgore’s oldest standing house

The oldest standing house in Kilgore is the Dean Keener Crim House, which was built in 1874.
Published: Jun. 26, 2021 at 2:03 PM CDT
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KILGORE, Texas (KLTV) - In this weeks’ Mark in Texas History, Mark Scirto tells us about the oldest standing house in Kilgore.

The Dean Keener Crim Home was built in 1874. S.G. Dean bought an acre just east of the railroad tracks and north of the train station. It started as a one-story, two-room house with a covered front porch.

The Dean Keener Crim Home is Kilgore's oldest standing house.
The Dean Keener Crim Home is Kilgore's oldest standing house.(KLTV)

L.J. and Allie Keener bought the home and land in 1881. They added a two-story and four-bedroom west wing.

Wiley Newton Crim and his wife bought the home in 1902. They added and extended a porch and enclosed a working well.

The oil boom in the 1930s put wells in the Crims yard. And the house got the historical marker designation in 1975.

The Dean Keener Crim Home is Kilgore's oldest standing house.
The Dean Keener Crim Home is Kilgore's oldest standing house.(KLTV)

The home stayed in the Crim family until 1999 and it was donated to the Kilgore Historical Preservation Foundation in 2000.

The Dean Keener Crim Home can be seen today in Kilgore. It’s located at 101 East Lantrip Street.

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