Montana and Caleb Whatley
and the
House Next Door
Months ago, John and Jane Barnhill donated the funds for Atlanta Grade School Friends to purchase the property and house at 108 West Miller Street, adjacent to and west of Atlanta-Miller Grade School. The property holds the distinction of having the grave and tombstone of Jose the Chihuahua sitting next to the slab, which is all that remains of the old "Briar Patch." Mr. Hope Greene buried Jose in 1969 and was, so far as we have been told, the man who built the house. Mr. Greene worked for Hanner Funeral Home.
The Briar Patch is where students since 1936 bought “hamburgers and hot dogs, cold drinks and ice cream cones, candy and bubble gum, a new pencil or a notebook.” The location where the former Greene house stood has been discussed as a possible parking lot for Atlanta-Miller Grade School which will provide easy access to the front door and off-street parking for guests. In the short term, we will clean it up and plant grass.
The first order of business was to decide what to do with the house. Atlanta Grade School Friends is all about preservation of the now historic school, so there was never really any other decision than to sell the house, and to have it moved. Lee Stanley, no relation to us but a close friend since the 7th grade, volunteered to list and show the site at no expense. The house was shown numerous times and generated a lot of interest. Lee collected a list of nearly thirty names of interested parties!
Through Lee, we received a call from Montana. But this “Montana” is Montana Whatley, who lives only about 16 miles west of Atlanta, Texas in the town of Linden. She and her husband Caleb purchased the Greene home and have experience with this type of endeavor. Caleb and Montana are a husband and wife team who love being together and have a passion for all things real estate. They are both licensed real estate agents who work together to help friends, community, and new faces find their new spot in East Texas. They recently started a Property Management company called Narrow Path Property Management that they own with Caleb’s parents, Brian and Marcie. Through the company they are able to manage clients’ rental properties, freeing up their time and eliminating many of the negative aspects of having investment properties.
From Montana:
Caleb was raised on his family’s ranch in Kildare, Texas. After graduating high school Caleb attended Tyler Junior College and received his AAS in Land Surveying and Mapping Technology; after which he attended Texas A&M University and graduated with his BS in Geographical Information Science and Technology (GIST).
I was born and raised in East Texas, graduating from Linden- Kildare High School. After High School, I moved to College Station, where I earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Geographic Information Science and Technology (GIST) from Texas A&M University.
We have been married since February 2020. Outside of work, we enjoy spending time outdoors fishing, hunting, doing DIY projects, gardening, and spending time with family. They are members of Cross Creek Cowboy Church in Atlanta, Texas where they love teaching their 1st and 2nd grade Sunday school class.
For the house that was once located at 108 Miller Street - we are so excited for the new adventure. The house has been relocated to our two-acre property in Linden, Texas. We plan to start remodeling the house soon to turn it into our home. We’re excited to share the process with you and hope to have updates along the way. Don’t hesitate to reach out to us about how the house remodel is going, or any real estate questions you have! Montana’s number is 903-650-1103.
I am proud Atlanta Grade School Friends was able to save another structure from destruction by simply making new friends. This time, one in “Montana.”
You can find the newspaper article about the Briar Patch on our Facebook page, as well as other "house moving" photos. Thanks to Carol Carney Nasits for sharing the article with us.
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