​William and Jane Hayter (Lera’s great-great-grandfather on her mother’s side) arrived in Texas in 1842 and William completed this dog trot the next year. It was originally located approximately five (5) miles west of Central Heights, on County Road 698. Their youngest daughter, Sudie, married TC Sitton and they raised their children in this home. The property remained in the Sitton family but Sudie’s grandson, Sam Sitton, generously donated the house to Millard’s Crossing in the 1970s. Sam remained on the family land until his passing in 2011. This is one of two dog trots still standing in Nacogdoches County.

 

The term 'dog trot' refers to the open breezeway running from the front to the back of the house. This covered area often remained cooler in the summer than the rest of the home, making it an ideal space for chores such as shelling peas or shucking corn.

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Today, the Sitton Dog Trot is a lively demonstration site at the village. Visitors can see natural dyeing, pickling, and old-fashioned laundry soap making in action. On school tours, children enjoy shelling corn and tending to the homestead garden—hands-on experiences that bring early East Texas life to life.