Listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1991.
“Nathan and Lula Cass House, also known as the Magnolia House, is a historic octagon house located at 502 N. Travis Avenue in Cameron, Texas, United States.”
Wikipedia article Dr. Nathan and Lula Cass House, CC BY-SA 4.0.
One of 5 National Register listings published here for Milam County · listed in 1991 · category: Building.
Sources: the Wikipedia article · the case file at the National Archives · the National Register database, National Park Service
Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal wildfire occurrence database lists 53 fires within 5 miles of Dr. Nathan and Lula Cass House between 2005 and 2020, burning about 569 acres in total. None started naturally. 6 were recorded as arson. Distance is straight-line from the map coordinates, so a fire counted here may appear on a neighbouring settlement's page as well.
| Reported cause | Fires |
|---|---|
| Debris and open burning | 18 |
| Equipment and vehicle use | 12 |
| Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 10 |
| Arson/incendiarism | 6 |
| Smoking | 3 |
| Railroad operations and maintenance | 1 |
| Recreation and ceremony | 1 |
| Power generation/transmission/distribution | 1 |
| Misuse of fire by a minor | 1 |
The most recent of them, most recent first, with the day each was reported and the service that recorded it.
| Date | Cause | Size | Reported by | Name on the report |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8 September 2012 | Equipment and vehicle use | 35 acres | Texas A & M Forest Service | SHURFFIELD FIRE |
| 4 September 2011 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 10 acres | Texas A & M Forest Service | CAMERON FIRE |
| 30 August 2012 | Debris and open burning | 100 acres | Texas A & M Forest Service | HOSEY FIRE |
| 27 August 2011 | Power generation/transmission/distribution | 1.0 acres | Texas A & M Forest Service | HWY 36 & CR215 |
| 8 July 2009 | Railroad operations and maintenance | 1.0 acres | Texas A & M Forest Service | 2095 RR |
| 7 July 2010 | Smoking | 1.0 acres | Texas A & M Forest Service | RR |
| 4 July 2009 | Arson/incendiarism | 2.0 acres | Texas A & M Forest Service | CALLAHAN FIRE |
| 4 July 2009 | Smoking | 1.0 acres | Texas A & M Forest Service | WEST CITY LIMITS |
Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The National Weather Service names Cameron, the town this property stands in, in 54 storm reports between 1994 and 2025: 17 hail, 17 thunderstorm wind, 14 flash flood, 2 tornado. The reports record 1 death and 2 injuries. Each account below is quoted exactly as the forecast office filed it, from the NOAA Storm Events Database, and each date opens the federal record of that event.
| When | Event | Place named | Harm | What the report says |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 2007 | Lightning | Cameron | 1 killed, 1 hurt | Two people were struck by lightning while fishing at the edge of a pond. One was killed and the other injured. |
| May 2016 | Flood | Cameron | 1 hurt, $30,000 | According to local news reports, a woman drove into high water on the Little River bridge in Cameron. While the heavy rain from the day before had ended hours before the incident, water remained over the roadway by 9 AM CDT on the 23rd. As the woman drove her car on the bridge, the water swept the car off of the bridge and into the river bank. The woman was rescued by Cameron Police Department and the Cameron Volunteer Fire Department and taken to the hospital in Temple with minor injuries. |
| May 2004 | Flash Flood | Cameron | $2,570,000 | Significant flooding was occurring in Cameron and surrounding towns. There were reports of numerous cars in ditches. Up to 11 inches of rain fell across the county, damaging over 250 homes and businesses. |
| September 2006 | Lightning | Cameron | $100,000 | Lightning struck a tree, bounced off of a propane tank and struck a house on Highway 77. The kitchen, hallway, and attic suffered the most damage from the fire. The house was considered a total loss. |
| August 2004 | Thunderstorm Wind | Cameron | $75,000 | There were numerous reports of large trees blown down onto cars, businesses, and houses, and power lines were blown down. |
| September 1996 | Tornado (F1) | Cameron | $70,000 | no account filed |
| May 1994 | Hail | Cameron | $50,000 | Thunderstorm produced golf ball-sized hail for over 20 minutes in Cameron. Minor damage to crops in the form of shredded leaves was indicated, with most of the damage to grain and sorghum crops. Damage was indicated to roofs and to windows of homes and vehicles. |
| May 2025 | Tornado (EF0) | Cameron | $20,000 | An EF-0 tornado formed southeast of Cameron approximately at the State Highway 36 bridge over the Little River. Substantial tree damage was noted in this vicinity, as well as some minor outbuilding damage. The tornado moved northeast, producing intermittent tree damage and light outbuilding damage as it paralleled Milam County Road 229 for a couple of miles before crossing County Roads 228 and 227. The tornado continued northeast beyond CR 227, producing additional damage to large tree branches and trunks. Some isolated damage to a recreational vehicle and some outbuildings also occurred along this eastern portion of the track. The tornado eventually reached FM 485 near its intersection with Hart Creek in eastern Milam County. The tornado dissipated in an open field immediately east of FM 485. Damage along the entire length of the track was consistent with estimated windspeeds of 65 to 75 mph, with a small number of trees exhibiting damage consistent with slightly higher EF-0 speeds of 75 to 85 mph. |
| June 2023 | Thunderstorm Wind | Cameron | $12,000 | Thunderstorm winds damaged a few commercial signs and caused roof damage at a storage facility in the City of Cameron. There was also debris from trees scattered throughout the downtown area. |
| May 2007 | Flood | Cameron | $10,000 | Several roads remained flooded and closed from earlier rains, including FM 1915 at Big Elm Creek, FM 1915 at Little River, CR 143, 147, 119, 120, and 240; FM 486 at Little River, FM 487 at San Gabriel River, and FM 908 at Brushy Creek; CR 407 at Clay's Creek, and CR 443 at Turkey Creek north of Thorndale. The culvert on CR 330 in Milano was washed out. |
| October 2013 | Hail | Cameron | $8,000 | no account filed |
| April 2006 | Thunderstorm Wind | Cameron | $5,000 | Trees and power lines blown down. |
| May 2001 | Thunderstorm Wind | Cameron | $5,000 | A carport was blown 250 yards by high winds. Trees were also blown down. |
| April 2010 | Hail | Cameron | $4,000 | Grapefruit size hail was reported 5 miles north of Cameron. |
| November 2004 | Thunderstorm Wind | Cameron | $2,000 | A tree was blown over and took out a utility pole and some powerlines. |
| February 1998 | Thunderstorm Wind | Cameron | $2,000 | Power lines were blown down by strong winds. |
| September 1996 | Thunderstorm Wind | Cameron | $2,000 | no account filed |
| June 2025 | Flash Flood | Cameron | $1,000 | Emergency management reported US-77 at Sandy Creek closed due to flooding. |
| August 1999 | Thunderstorm Wind | Cameron | $100 | A tree was blown down. |
| March 2017 | Thunderstorm Wind | Cameron | - | A trained spotter reported a tree 3 feet in diameter blown down in the city of Cameron, TX. |
| March 2017 | Thunderstorm Wind | Cameron | - | The Cameron, TX Automated Weather Observation Station reported a wind gust of 70 MPH. |
| August 2012 | Thunderstorm Wind | Cameron | - | A report from the Milam County Sheriff's Office confirmed that weather played a role in the death of a 50-year old Georgia man competing in a paragliding competition. The event was called off due to rain and wind moving in from the east, but the man did not return. He was found the next day along CR 202; west of Cameron. The nearby AWOS at Cameron Municipal Airport (KT35) recorded a 29 mph wind gust. |
| February 2008 | Hail | Cameron | - | Penny to nickel-size hail was covering Highway 77. |
| May 2007 | Flash Flood | Cameron | - | Several farm-to-market roads were closed due to high water including FM 1915 at Elm Creek Road. |
| May 2007 | Flash Flood | Cameron | - | The following roads were closed due to water: FM 487 at San Gabriel Creek, FM 486 at Little River, and FM 908. |
| May 2007 | Flash Flood | Cameron | - | Several roads were closed due to flooding. |
| June 2007 | Flash Flood | Cameron | - | Numerous county roads flooded and closed near Cameron, including FM 1915 at Big Elm Creek. |
| April 2005 | Hail | Cameron | - | Golf ball size hail reported. |
| May 2005 | Thunderstorm Wind | Cameron | - | Trees blown down. |
| June 2005 | Thunderstorm Wind | Cameron | - | Tree down over CR 402 near Davilla. |
| May 2004 | Flash Flood | Cameron | - | Flooding was occurring along Highway 77 in Ben Arnold. |
| June 2004 | Flash Flood | Cameron | - | Numerous roads around Cameron and Rockdale were closed due to flooding. |
| June 2004 | Flash Flood | Cameron | - | Highway 77 between Cameron and Rockdale closed due to high water. |
| August 2001 | Flash Flood | Cameron | - | Several county and farm to market roads north and northwest of Cameron were closed due to high water. The roads remained closed through the early morning of the 31st. |
| August 2001 | Flash Flood | Cameron | - | Two farm to market roads were closed near Yarrelton. |
| January 1998 | Flash Flood | Cameron | - | Several roads across the county were closed. |
| December 1997 | Flash Flood | Cameron | - | Seven roads were closed in the northwest part of the county. |
| June 2007 | Hail | Cameron | - | no account filed |
| April 2006 | Hail | Cameron | - | no account filed |
| April 2005 | Hail | Cameron | - | no account filed |
| July 2005 | Hail | Cameron | - | no account filed |
| July 2005 | Hail | Cameron | - | no account filed |
| November 2004 | Hail | Cameron | - | no account filed |
| July 2003 | Hail | Cameron | - | no account filed |
| March 2002 | Hail | Cameron | - | no account filed |
| March 2002 | Thunderstorm Wind | Cameron | - | no account filed |
| March 2000 | Hail | Cameron | - | no account filed |
| March 2000 | Hail | Cameron | - | no account filed |
| April 1999 | Hail | Cameron | - | no account filed |
| July 1996 | Thunderstorm Wind | Cameron | - | no account filed |
| September 1996 | Flash Flood | Cameron | - | no account filed |
| September 1996 | Hail | Cameron | - | no account filed |
| September 1996 | Thunderstorm Wind | Cameron | - | no account filed |
| September 1996 | Thunderstorm Wind | Cameron | - | no account filed |
No historic map-sheet match is published for this property yet. That does not mean no map exists. This record needs a coordinate-quality review before it can be joined to a sheet boundary. Browse the county's mapped places while that work is pending.
Other National Register properties close enough to walk or drive between, ordered by distance from this one. Both positions come from the same geocoding pass that matched these properties to their map sheets.
| Photograph | Property | Distance | Listed |
|---|---|---|---|
 | Milam County Courthouse and Jail | 0.3 miles | 1977 |
| Milam County Courthouse and Jail | 0.4 miles | 1977 |
 | R.F. and Minta Pool House | 0.8 miles | 2014 |
| National Archives record | The nomination case file for reference 91000037 in Record Group 79. |
| Wikipedia article | Community-written account of this property, licensed CC BY-SA. |
| Milam County | All 5 listed properties in this county. |
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