Confederate veteran Thomas Jefferson Sanford and his wife Nannie (Johnson) bought 300 acres including this site in July 1871. Their children, William Robert and Oscar Thomas, lived on the land with Oscar's wife Sarah Jane (Brown). When Ambrose Bible established a townsite in 1901, the Sanfords sold a portion of their property for the railroad right-of-way. Oscar and Sarah were instrumental in ensuring the success of the town. They established several businesses and services in Ambrose, including a general store, hardware store and post office, bank, school, and two churches. Ambrose grew from 1902 until the 1920s, but when the railroad reorganized and bypassed the town's spur, Ambrose declined within a few years. In 1999, Sanford descendants continued to occupy their family land. (1999)