Ramey House

Ramey's father, Thomas Brown Ramey, built the house in 1903. He was born in 1852 in the town of Henderson. As a young man, he relocated to Tyler in the early 1870s and opened a jewelry store in 1875 in the downtown square. The store became successful and known among locals for a pedestal clock he displayed. He married his wife, Mary, in 1890 and they would go to have two children, Thomas and a daughter, Elizabeth. The Ramey's bought the property where the present house now stands in 1890. It appears they lived in a house already there for several years before building the current home in 1903. Relatives owned the house next door and the Ramey's lived there while the new home was being built.

Ramey's parents were also active in the community. They were members of several local clubs, including the Mendelssohn Club, which was a music organization. His father served on the Board of Trustees for the local school system and as vice president of Citizens National Bank.

As an adult, Ramey followed in his parent's footsteps, becoming a prominent figure in his own right. He earned law degrees from the University of Texas and became a lawyer. He was known as Judge Ramey despite never presiding as a judge in court. He was a member of the school board for over two decades and served as president for most of that time. He was also the first president of the Tyler Junior Board of Trustees and became a member of the State Board of Education in 1949.

In addition, Ramey had a number of business interests. For example, he played a role in establishing the Tyler Industrial Foundation and was a member of the executive committee of Citizens National Bank. As noted above, Ramey established the Tyler Rose Festival. He was inspired by the rose exhibit he saw at the Chicago World's Fair in 1933. Apparently, many of the roses he saw there were grown in Tyler and Smith Counties. Ramey founded the festival that year and it has been held every year since then. Ramey passed away in 1967 and his wife in 1980. It was around this time that the house was converted into a law office

"Ramey House." The Historical Marker Database. Accessed October 21, 2020. https://www.hmdb.org/m.asp?m=91754.

"Ramey House." National Park Service - National Register of Historic Places Nomination Form. October 29, 1982. https://catalog.archives.gov/OpaAPI/media/40973337/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_TX/82001738.pdf.