The Dan Rather House

The Dan Rather House. . , This typical "shotgun house” was built by Texas Gulf Sulphur Company in 1917 to house workers at its sulphur mine in the coastal town of Gulf, Texas. It was later sold and moved to College Street in Wharton. Byrl and Irvin "Rags” Rather were living in this house when their son Dan was born on October 31, 1931., As a journalist, Dan Rather became one of Wharton’s most noted native sons. His televised coverage of Hurricane Carla in 1961 was cited by Congress for helping save lives. He joined CBS news in 1962 and earned a worldwide reputation for excellence on important stories. These included Dr. Martin Luther king. Jr., and the civil rights movement; the assassination of President John Kennedy; the demise of the Soviet Bloc and the struggle for democracy in China; and wars in Vietnam, Afghanistan, and the Persian Gulf. In 1981, he became anchor and managing editor of the CBS Evening News., The house was moved to its present site in 1992 and restored. A magnolia tree was planted near the house in honor of Byrl Rather, who always referred to it as the “Magnolia House.”