FROM AUCTION BLOCK TO MUSEUM

The Bayless-Selby House, now located in the Denton County Historical Park, was once neighbor to similar two-room frame farmhouses built along Denton’s Myrtle Street in 1884. The simple wooden home was purchased by Dentonites Samuel and Mary Bayless who lived in the home until Samuel’s death in 1919. During their years together in the house the Bayless family added a second story and gave it a new look, outfitting the home’s façade in 1898 with the late Victorian/Queen Anne details popular during the period. Mary Bayless sold the home after 1919 to neighbor R. L. Selby Sr. and the Selby family continued to own the home until 1970. The historic structure, in need of repair and restoration, ended up on the city’s auction block in 1998. Fortunately, the highest bidder, Denton County Historical Commission member Mildred Hawk, held Denton heritage in high regard and donated the house to the Commission. The Bayless-Selby House became the first historic structure to be moved to the Denton County Historical Park, dedicated in 1998 for the preservation and interpretation of Denton County’s architectural heritage. Restoration of the house proceeded over the following three years and by September of 2001 the new Bayless-Selby House Museum opened to the public. In addition to admiring the whimsical Queen Anne detailing in the architecture, visitors may peruse the museum’s collection of hand-painted china, furniture, and decorative accessories, all from the turn of the nineteenth century.