C. Homer and Edith Fuller Chambers Home

Duane's take

Here's my telling of the official marker for the C. Homer and Edith Fuller Chambers Home, right there in Jefferson County. Now settle in, because this house has got two stories to tell, and I mean that in more ways than one.

It connects two of early Beaumont's biggest industries: lumber and oil. And if you know anything about Beaumont, you know those two words carry a whole lot of weight. William Hardee Turner, born in 1869, and his wife Florence, born in 1877, built this house in 1907.

The marker notes it's highly likely the pine lumber came from Turner and Nabers Company, of which Hardee Turner was the principal owner. So the man may well have built his own house out of his own timber. That's a certain kind of satisfaction right there.

The Turners kept the home until 1914, when they sold it to Charles Homer Chambers, born in 1878, and his wife Edith Fuller Chambers, born in 1877. Homer had been born in Luling, found early success in the hardware business, and came to Beaumont to get in on the oil boom. He served on the Beaumont city council from 1930 to 1934, and in 1935 he and his business partner C.D.

Edwards founded the Chambers and Edwards Oil Company. Homer and Edith raised two daughters in that house. Jennie Ruth, born in 1902, and Florence, born in 1912.

Ruth earned her Bachelor of Arts from Randolph-Macon Women's College in 1923. Florence graduated in 1933 with a Bachelor of Arts from Southwestern University. Both daughters contributed to the war effort, and after that they settled into lives of gardening, genealogy, and active membership in the Daughters of the American Revolution.

Now here's where the story takes a particular kind of turn. The sisters never married. And they never exactly rushed to modernize either.

No air conditioning. No television. Florence lived in that home until 2002.

Think about what that means for the house itself. It was remodeled in 1924 in neoclassical style, and from that point on, the interiors were never modernized. A two-story addition went up, with a sun parlor on the first floor and a sleeping porch on the second.

Four large Doric columns were added to the front facade. The roof was extended, a triangular pediment added, a bathroom added above the butler's pantry. And then, for the most part, time just stopped knocking on the front door.

Before Florence passed, born in 1912 and gone in 2004, she established the C. Homer and Edith Fuller Chambers Foundation. And so today, that house stands as what the marker calls a historical snapshot of 1920s Beaumont.

Lumber built it. Oil sustained it. And two daughters, very quietly, preserved it.

Sometimes the most remarkable thing a person can do is simply leave well enough alone.

What the marker says

This home connects two major early Beaumont industries: lumber and oil. William Hardee Turner (1869-1933) and his wife, Florence (Stovall) Turner (1877-1936), built the house in 1907. It is highly likely that the pine lumber used came from the local Turner & Nabers Company, of which Hardee Turner was the principal owner. In 1914, the Turners sold their home to Charles Homer Chambers (1878-1952) and Edith (Fuller) Chambers (1877-1964). Their family included two daughters, Jennie Ruth (1902-1989) and Florence (1912-2004). Born in Luling, Homer found early success in the hardware business and came to Beaumont to participate in the oil boom. From 1930-1934, he served on the Beaumont city council. In 1935, he and business partner C.D. Edwards founded the Chambers and Edwards Oil Company. Ruth received a Bachelor of Arts degree from Randolph-Macon Women's College in 1923; Florence graduated in 1933 with a Bachelor of Arts from Southwestern University. After contributing to the war effort, the sisters enjoyed hobbies such as gardening and genealogy, becoming active in the Daughters of the American Revolution. The sisters never married, and Florence resided in the Chambers home until 2002. Before Florence passed, she established the C. Homer and Edith Fuller Chambers Foundation. In 1924, extensive remodeling took place in neoclassical style. This included a two-story addition with a sun parlor on the first floor and a sleeping porch on the second. On the front façade, four large Doric columns were added. The roof was extended and a triangular pediment was added. On the second floor, a bathroom was added above the butler's pantry. Most of the interiors received an upgrade at this time and thereafter were never modernized. The sisters never brought air conditioning or a television into the home. Today, the home is a historical snapshot of 1920s Beaumont.