| Old
houses grace the towns and cities of East Texas. Some have survived by miraculous
good fortune and some are nurtured along by generations of caring owners who cherish
them.
All are testimony to an earlier way of life, but only a few are
associated with the movers and shakers of previous eras. A good example of the
latter is the Starr Family Mansion in Marshall.
This
structure is associated with a family of prominence in the political and economic
development of our state and region for the whole of the nineteenth century.
The
first Starr family member associated with Texas, Franklin J. Starr, moved
here from Ohio in 1834. For a while Starr partnered in the practice of law with
William Barret Travis. He ended up in Nacogdoches as a result of
the Runaway Scrape, or the hasty
departure to the east in front of Santa Anna's Mexican army during the Texas
Revolution in the Spring of 1836.
James
Harper Starr joined his brother Franklin and soon was involved in public
affairs. He served as land commissioner in Nacogdoches County and as President
Mirabeau B. Lamar's secretary of the treasury before relocating in Marshall.
Starr
purchased Rosemont, the home of the Rev. A.F. Wagner, for his residence,
and over time the property became a family compound. His son, James Franklin
Starr, helped manage the family's business interest. He purchased a portion
of the estate for his own residence, Maplecroft -- now known as the Starr
Mansion. James Franklin Starr and wife Clara had six daughters. As each daughter
married, Starr built a home for her new family on the estate.
Several of
these buildings are extant: a portion of Rosemont, three of the houses
Starr constructed for his daughters, a school house, and proud Maplecroft.
The
Starr Mansion compound remained in family possession until 1985, then was transferred
to Texas Parks & Wildlife Department. Portions of the property can be rented for
parties, bed & breakfast service, or tours.
Old houses vary greatly depending
on the care they receive. This old house is in excellent condition, and it offers
a wonderful insight into the way East Texans lived not so long ago.
All
Things Historical
April 1-7,
2001
Published by permission.
(Archie P. McDonald is Director of the East
Texas Historical Association and author or editor of over 20 books on Texas)
The
Starr Family State Historic Site
407 W. Travis Street - 903-935-3044
Hours: Weds to Mon, 9 to 5; Sunday 1 to
5.
Website:
http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/park/starrfam/starrfam.htm
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