233 South Center Street

Date of construction: 1872
Architectural Style: Neo-Classical
Recorded Texas Historic Landmark: 1965

Judge James N. Campbell purchased the Queen Anne style home on South Center before the turn of the century. The home was originally built in 1872 by Asa B. Rucker, a timber and lumber mill owner in Longview and Texarkana, as the "townhouse" for his wife Caledonia, the widow of Thomas R. Harriss, son of the original owner of Rockwall Farm.

J. N. Campbell was the son of an early Longview mayor and the younger brother of Governor Thomas Mitchell Campbell. He studied law and worked in the offices of the county and district clerks in Longview; in 1889 was elected county judge and served four terms.

Described as one of the town’s best loved and most influential citizens, his legacy also includes the building of Lake Devernia Hunting and Fishing Club, eight miles west of Longview.

The judge’s home was remodeled in the neo-classical style. As the home of a prominent judge, the home often hosted Texas jurists as well as business and political leaders.

In early 2008, following years of neglect and a demolition order, the home was rescued and purchased by a newly chartered non-profit organization, Preservation Longview. The Campbell House was recognized on the 2009 Texas Most Endangered List by Preservation Texas, and a matching grant from the National Historic Trust has provided for the completion of a Master Plan by preservation architect Gerald Bratz. Efforts are underway to raise money to restore this lovely but neglected home, historically significant at both the state and local level.