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Florien is not a town that rushes its stories. History here unfolds through the places that remain part of daily life, not through plaques or polished displays.
While attending the Sabine Free State Festival, I stayed at the Dover House, a three-bedroom Airbnb that feels less like a short-term rental and more like a home that has quietly held its place since the early twentieth century.
From the moment I arrived, it was clear this was not a stay built around novelty. Original details, familiar rooms, and a sense of continuity give the house its presence. Rather than staging the past, the Dover House allows it to exist naturally, inviting guests to settle in and experience Florien through a space that has long been part of the town’s story.
A House Saved by Someone Who Knew Its Value
The Dover House was built in 1920 for Joe Dover, a Florien businessman and native of Germany whose work intersected with the town’s period of growth and modernization. Involved in multiple businesses, Dover helped support the local economy at a time when rail commerce and new infrastructure were shaping daily life in the region.
According to current owner Louise Thaxton, the house also held a distinction that set it apart within the parish.
“Joe Dover was in a lot of businesses, and he brought gas to the parish,” Louise explains. “In fact, the Dover House was the first house in the parish to have gas run into the home.”
Louise is a lifelong resident of Sabine Parish and attended school just a block away from the Dover House. In 2020, she purchased the property from the city, which was preparing to demolish it due to its deteriorated condition.
“When I went to see the dilapidated property, I stepped through a window because part of the house had fallen down,” Louise says. “Most people would have been turned off by that. I saw it as a challenge.”
Inside, she found evidence of a life paused rather than erased.
“There were dishes and pots in the pantry that had been there for 50 years,” she says. “The floors of this house are as good as they were 100 years ago. I just thought that this house cannot be torn down. We have to restore it.”
The Dover family began building the home in 1918 and completed it in 1920. More than a century later, the house was restored and brought back into use, preserving its original character while allowing it to remain part of Florien’s everyday life.
Original Details That Still Shape the Space
Much of what defines the Dover House today comes directly from the Dover family. Joe Dover sourced furniture from his brother in Chicago, and many of the pieces throughout the home were built by him. Family photographs, original furnishings, and vintage household items remain in place, grounding the home in real lives and everyday use.
The kitchen retains two especially rare features. The original stove has been carefully re-enameled, and the original refrigerator still stands, adding to the sense that this is a home that has evolved over time rather than been reinvented.
Moving through the rooms, the house feels arranged for living rather than display. The spaces are decorated as if the Dovers’ three children might return, reinforcing the idea that history here is personal, domestic, and rooted in everyday family life.
Together, those details give the Dover House the feel of a living museum, shaped by how a family once lived here.
A Historic Home That Still Welcomes Gathering
While preservation guided the restoration, Louise made thoughtful updates to ensure the home could function comfortably today. Subtle changes to the original floor plan allow the Dover House to host tea parties, showers, weddings, and small gatherings while maintaining its historic integrity.
The home now offers three bedrooms and two baths and is listed as a five-star host property on Airbnb. It feels cared for rather than curated, and comfortable without losing its sense of age.
Spending time inside the house feels like stepping into the daily life of a family from a century ago. Original doors and windows continue to frame the space just as they always have.
Tied to Florien’s Railroad and Festival History
The Dover House sits beside the railroad tracks that once belonged to the Kansas City Southern Railway, which served as the economic catalyst for Florien’s growth. The town lies twelve miles south of Many and remains closely connected to its railroad and frontier past.
Across the tracks is Free State Park, where the Sabine Free State Festival is held. The interpretive park includes recreated frontier town buildings that are open to the public and provide further context for Florien’s independent history and early settlement.
Preservation With a Broader Purpose
Beyond restoring the Dover House, Louise Thaxton is also the founder of the American Warrior Initiative, a veterans charity dedicated to honoring and supporting those who have served.
Her approach to preservation reflects a broader commitment to stewardship, service, and care for both people and place.
Living Inside Florien’s History
Staying at the Dover House feels less like occupying a rental and more like being entrusted with a piece of Florien’s story. The preserved floors, original doors, and family photographs quietly affirm that this house has always been a place of living, not just remembering.
Its location beside the tracks that once powered the town’s economy and across from the park where Florien continues to celebrate its identity places the home firmly within the life of the community. The Dover House remains because someone chose to restore it instead of letting it be torn down.
For travelers drawn to places where preservation and hospitality coexist naturally, the Dover House offers something rare. It is not a recreation of the past, but a home that continues to carry it forward.
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