There’s a Facebook group called, “You’re probably from Kaufman, Texas if you remember …” It’s their version of a Jeff Foxworthy routine. It’s charming and adorable and one of the “probably from” entries includes a long list of presumably favorite teachers and coaches, including the original owner of today’s featured home, Floyd Thurman.
A Kaufman Legend
Thurman was the agriculture teacher at Kaufman High School. Since you can’t keep livestock in the gym, Thurman kept them on his property – a three-acre ranch south of town with a main house and three barns.
Those very animals won a lot of ribbons over the years but Thurman’s proudest moment? Claiming first prize in the state Future Farmers of America competition in Milk Products. That little victory took them to the nationals in Waterloo, Iowa.
What a wonderfully simpler time, right? I think we could all use a little more FFA in our lives. That’s what this home is all about. Finding the space to breathe and take a step back from the nonstop barrage of bad news that’s our current lives.
I can go on about Thurman and I think I will because this next one is pretty impressive. Thurman went to Cisco Junior High School in East Texas for two years and then transferred to Texas A&M University. Kind of saw that coming with the whole ag teacher fact, huh? But while he was at A&M, he won a contest and got to go to Japan to judge a cotton exhibition. JAPAN. This was back in 1934 so I’m sure that was, like, the trip of a lifetime.
Thurman served in World War II and after a few years of teaching even took a leave of absence to head to Ames, Iowa, to get his master’s degree in American Farming. (In the 1930s and 1940s, his class was called “vocational agriculture” because it was — and still is — a very viable way to make a living. I don’t know why I’m pointing that out, but I am.)
Moving on to current times, the original farmhouse, which has been updated and is just about as adorable as possible, was used as an Airbnb for guests of a local Kaufman wedding venue. The current owners added beekeeping to their resume because back in the day Thurman raised those, too. He also grafted most of the pecan trees in town and added a total of 16 to his property. We’re talking buy this place and become THE destination for Thanksgiving Pie Season.
A Main House For a Modern Era
Now, if you’re looking at these pictures and thinking, gee, that sure doesn’t look like 1930s construction, that’s because it’s not.
The current main house is 2,878 square feet and was built in 2017. It’s gorgeous, too. Lots of open, airy rooms, a downstairs primary retreat that opens to a screened-in porch with a fireplace, polished concrete floors in the main living, oak floors in the bedrooms, a killer pool out back, and views of nothing but Texas green grass, livestock if you choose to raise your own, the original barn, and a modern gazebo that offers outdoor dining on these delightful Fall days.
If you’re looking to step back in time but also want to live in an absolute stunner, check out 6510 FM 1388 in Kaufman. Douglas Elliman Real Estate’s Jolie Barrios has it listed for $1.1 million.
