‘Honey, There’s a House Driving Down the Street’

I know there are people out there who secretly, or maybe not so secretly, want to stop traffic.

I know, I know. You’re thinking your best killer outfit might do it. Or the next time you go to get coiffed that new ‘do will be so perfect, those beach waves are just on point. Or maybe your car is so jacked that it owns the block.

But this past week, I witnessed how to stop traffic. Put this in your playbook, influencers. All you have to do is drive a house down the street.

Yep, it’s that easy. Move a house down Main Street, U.S.A., and I think I can guarantee that traffic. Will. Shut. Down. For. A. Long. Time.

The process takes a good bit of time to move a historic home from one spot to another, even in the same ZIP Code.

Locals expecting a routine morning commute down Grapevine’s Main Street got a front-row seat to a very charming traffic jam. At 9 a.m., the historic Winfrey House — yes, an entire historic house — rolled into action, inching its way toward the Ted R. Ware Plaza as part of Grapevine’s newest addition preservation project.

History Preserved

Grapevine relocated the house that once belonged to Georgia and Charles Edwin Winfrey a week ago, beginning from its previous location on Shady Brook Drive, moving along Dove Loop Road and on to its new home near Grapevine’s Main Street

The Winfrey house, built in 1908 on East Franklin Street, the Winfrey House was relocated to Shady Brook Drive more than 20 years ago. It’s a part of Grapevine’s long history projects aimed at preserving Grapevine’s cultural history.

But on Tuesday, that house stopped traffic. On a hot summer morning, police were redirecting traffic as the house meandered, even moseyed down Main Street taking its own sweet time. The 1908 home, balanced on wheels and pulled by an inching along semi, caused the city to shut down for a bit. Traffic was stopped, and so were a few businesses since gawkers strolled onto the sidewalks and even balconies to check out the spectacle.

Now this was not as exciting as Grapevine’s annual Parade of Lights for the holidays in the Christmas Capital of Texas. No marching bands, no waving dignitaries, and no thrown candy were part of this day. Instead of lights on floats, there was this June a snafu when a streetlamp required disassembly for the house to pass through.

One thing necessary for stopping traffic in this way, if you happen to be the one driving the truck cab hauling a house, is a big ole load of patience. Besides waiting while a lamppost was taken apart, negotiating turns meant waiting for police to shoo bystanders out of the way and watching for helpers’ signals to inch forward.

Big Names

Long before it was paraded through the streets of Grapevine, the house was once home to Charles Edwin Winfrey, a longtime Tarrant County employee and his wife Georgia, a lifelong resident and active member of several civic organizations. The Winfrey family was related to some of Grapevine’s earliest settlers and influential families. Among the family’s relatives were names know to longtime Grapevine residents, such as the Starrs, Lucases and Willhoites. Those last names are known in the historic city as its business owners, community leaders and elected officials who often are credited with forming the city.

The Winfrey House was special even before it stopped traffic last week. It qualifies for landmark status and will complete the Settlement to City Museums, according to Grapevine spokesperson Erin Pellet. The area, dedicated to 19^th century structures, includes the Donald Schoolhouse, Keeling House Museum and Grapevine Cotton Ginner’s Museum.

Good News

As it turns out, shutting down streets can be a good thing. When Grapevine closes streets for all those festivals like Main Street Fest and GrapeFest, those funds help pay for this house-moving shut down.

And another good thing. When a street shuts down to move a house, getting a speeding ticket isn’t really anything to worry about.