A recent photo shoot for Traditional Home magazine indirectly led me to the small town of Shelby, Texas. I found out you can own your historic Texas community, complete with chapel, school house, farm houses, country inn and mercantile building for a total of $699,000. Sounds pretty good to me....
Meet the owner of Shelby, and take a look around:
While you may or may not readily recognize her name, you do most likely know Jenifer Jordan's work -- especially if you've turned the pages of any of Interior Designer Charles Faudree's books. Jenifer has repeatedly turned Faudree's highly recognized Country French style into fine art. When she isn't on assignment for the famous designer or shooting for national magazines (i.e. the Traditional Home shoot) and other clients, she enjoys retreating to her own small Texas town.
A photo from The Shelby Web site , showing a winding path leading to the various buildings/dwellings.
Jenifer lives in the town of Shelby , which she owns and that was founded in the 19th century by a German settler. Her historical town, and bed and breakfast sits on 4 acres, located 8 miles from Warrenton and 8 miles from Round Top (the area is widely known for hosting large antique fairs held in the spring and fall).
As said, Jennifer's town is now FOR SALE, and I think I read or she told me that it includes most if not all contents and furnishings. Check it out on her Web site for certainty. Her property includes 7 buildings. One notable dwelling is The Shelby Inn, a Greek Revival building once known as The Shelby Mercantile, the former focal point of commerce in Shelby. It once housed the post office, a saloon and phone company.
Here are just a few photos she sent me to show various parts of the property:
(Photos by Jenifer Jordan)
Jenifer also sent along a recipe favored by her B&B guests: Strawberry Scones:
Serves:
14 to 16 large scones
Ingredients
4 cups plus 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons sugar, plus additional for sprinkling
2 tablespoons baking powder
2 teaspoons salt
3/4 pound cold unsalted butter, diced
4 extra-large eggs, lightly beaten
1 cup (minus 2 tablespoons) cold heavy cream
2 tablespoons dry sherry or brandy
3/4 cup small-diced strawberries
1 egg beaten with 2 tablespoons water or milk, for egg wash
Directions:
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, combine 4 cups of flour,
2 tablespoons sugar, baking powder, and salt. Blend in the cold butter at the lowest
speed and mix until the butter is in pea-sized pieces. Combine the eggs, heavy cream
and sherry or brandy quickly adding them to the flour and butter mixture. Combine until
just blended. Toss the strawberries with 1 tablespoon of flour, add them to the dough,
and mix quickly. The dough may be a bit sticky.
Dump the dough out onto a well-floured surface and be sure it is well combined. Flour
your hands and a rolling pin and roll the dough 3/4-inch thick. You should see lumps of
butter in the dough. Cut dough with a heart shaped cookie cutter or you may cut into
squares and then triangles. Place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or a
silpat.
Brush the tops with egg wash. Sprinkle with sugar and bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until
the outsides are crisp and the insides are fully baked.
The addition of the dry sherry or brandy gives these scones a special flavor.
Remember that when mixing the scones to work the dough as little as possible to keep
them tender. The more the dough is worked the more gluten is formed from the flour
and makes the end product tough. These will be tender and with the addition of crème
fraiche (or whipped cream) and strawberry jam, they will be wonderful.
If you're wondering, Jenifer plans to move to Tulsa, Oklahoma, where her work (she's doing another book with Faudree) continually takes her. She says it's time to share this wonderful town/property with someone else seeking serenity and something rather unique.
