Radically Retired

No Final Verdict

Written by

Terry

in

,

A couple of weeks ago, we drove past this once regal, but old and dilapidated house in Edinburg, Texas.

When I took the photo into Google Lens … Ai assist (which is wrong over 50% of the time), identified it as “The Closner House”, built by John Closner, an early developer and political figure in the area.

The house is located on Closner Rd, which is likely where ai got things twisted.

I then Googled the Closner house and added -ai to my search (this brings up a few more reputable sources before the ai assist answers), and the image that came up looked like an entirely different house.

Further research took me to a Facebook page where people were asking about the house in my feature photo.

Some said it was the Stephens house while others corrected that to Stevens, but attributed different occupations to the different spellings of the surname. Some said it was the Closner house (likely after an ai-assisted Google search). This was corrected by others in the group who said that the Closner house built by John Closner was at a different location.

The jury is definitely out on this one, so I guess I’ll just leave it to imagination of what this house was like in its heyday.

Comments

21 responses to “No Final Verdict”

  1. Forestwood Avatar
    Forestwood

    Don’t I know it, Terry. I am someone who does their best proofreading after I hit that send button.

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply
    1. Terry Avatar
      Terry

      Me, as well, Amanda.

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply
  2. Forestwood Avatar
    Forestwood

    Edit for the previous comment-
    “.. its funny how abandoned houses look haunted

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply
    1. Terry Avatar
      Terry

      I wish we could edit all of our comments instead of just the ones in our own posts.

      Liked by 2 people

      Reply
  3. Forestwood Avatar
    Forestwood

    Its funny how funny houses look haunted. Sad.
    Ai is often incorrect so I wouldn’t trust it.

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply
    1. Terry Avatar
      Terry

      I don’t trust ai at all, Amanda. That’s how I discovered adding -ai to a search because that prevents ai assist from being the top answer. I agree about the eeriness of old abandoned houses.

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply
  4. explorenewness Avatar
    explorenewness

    What a curiosity! I’m sure you’ll let us know if you wander over to the county courthouse and look up the property title haha. Do it! Curious minds want to know. :o)

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply
    1. Terry Avatar
      Terry

      I’ll definitely work on this one a bit, Lenore. It seems that quite a few are as interested as I am as to the history of the house.

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply
  5. Edward Ortiz Avatar
    Edward Ortiz

    Interesting! The house has a few signs about security cameras, so it’s important for someone. Now I’m intrigued.

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply
    1. Terry Avatar
      Terry

      I wondered about the security cameras too, Edward. I’m not sure if the house set for demolition or maybe someone has bought it with plans to restore it. Another possibility is to deter squatters or vandals.

      Liked by 2 people

      Reply
      1. Edward Ortiz Avatar
        Edward Ortiz

        Probably to deter people. I Googled it, and there are a lot of people trying to “tour” the house. I hope they restore it. The house has potential.

        Like

  6. A Creative Spirit Avatar
    A Creative Spirit

    Out of interest I ask ChatGPT this end

    someone claimed the property was known informally as the “Joan Sebastian house” (referring to a private owner, possibly the musician Joan Sebastian, whose family had ties in the region), though that claim wasn’t confirmed by an authoritative historical source.

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply
    1. Terry Avatar
      Terry

      Thanks for checking and commenting, Carole. When I get the chance, I really think I want to do more “in person” investigating on this one.

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply
    2. Terry Avatar
      Terry

      Since your comment, Carole, I’ve also read about Joan Sebastian. He was a Mexican singer who was apparently quite famous. His house in Edinburg, TX was definitely not the mystery house in my post, and it apparently burned down in 2016. Thanks to your comment, I learned about Joan Sebastian. I was surprised to learn he wasn’t female.

      Liked by 2 people

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      1. A Creative Spirit Avatar
        A Creative Spirit

        The internet is like a rabbit warren

        Like

  7. Charla Avatar
    Charla

    That is a great picture and gets my mind to thinking. If the walls could talk, what stories would be told…..

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply
    1. Terry Avatar
      Terry

      Those are always my thoughts when I see abandoned old places, Charla. Enjoy your day!

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply
  8. annemariedemyen Avatar
    annemariedemyen

    That would have been a beautiful house when it waa built. Sad that it has been allowed to come to this. 😢

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply
    1. Terry Avatar
      Terry

      I agree, Anne. We’ve seen so many like this at home in rural Sask. The upkeep and the need to upgrade wiring, plumbing, etc to today’s codes is no doubt cost-prohibitive here. At home, in rural Sask, I think it’s likely more about location. Have a great day!

      Liked by 2 people

      Reply
  9. Betty Avatar
    Betty

    Maybe someday the mystery will be solved. It was once very regal, wasn’t it?

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply
    1. Terry Avatar
      Terry

      It sure looks like it was, Betty. I have a hard time not solving something. I may go to the Edinburg city hall to see if they can help. If I do that, I’ll post an update. Have a great day!

      Liked by 2 people

      Reply

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