Martin, Henry F.

Henry F. Martin was born in Dekalb County, Georgia, on January 24, 1860, and moved to Texas as a boy before settling in Fresno, California, in 1887. After starting in street grading and water company work, he entered the house-moving industry with the Owens House-Moving Company, eventually purchasing the business. His pioneering work modernized house-moving methods across the San Joaquin Valley from Merced to Bakersfield, using advanced caterpillar tractors and steel cables. Among his notable projects were raising the Kings River concrete bridge near Sanger and clearing key sites for major Fresno landmarks, including the Fresno Post Office and Fresno High School.

Alongside his heavy construction career, Henry managed an eighty-acre ranch west of Fresno and built a valuable real estate portfolio, including a unique reconstructed home at 201 Thesta Street. He married Sarah Freeman of Murray County, Georgia, on September 7, 1882, in Weatherford, Texas, and together they raised five children named Barney A., William A., Oscar A., Harriett N., and Linnie. Active in civic affairs and fraternal orders like the Odd Fellows, he served four years on the Fresno City Council representing the Fifth Ward. He remained widely recognized as one of the most prominent house-moving experts in the region.