Cartwright House

Duane's take

Here's how the official marker tells it: and I'm gonna give it its due. Now, if a house could hold court, the Cartwright House in Terrell, Kaufman County, would've been holding it since 1883. That's when Matthew Cartwright built the place, a Victorian residence, right there in a town that was still finding its footing.

And Matthew was no newcomer to Texas soil. He was third generation, mind you. By the time he swung a hammer, his family roots had already gone deep into this land.

Matthew Cartwright (born 1855, died 1925) wasn't a man who did things small. Rancher. Banker.

Civic leader. The kind of man a growing Texas town needed and, lucky for Terrell, the kind of man they had. He married Mary Cynthia Davenport, and together they filled that house the way a good house deserves to be filled: with ten children.

Ten. Now you tell me a house built for that crew wasn't going to need some room. Sure enough, by 1893, they enlarged it.

One of the first large homes in Terrell, growing right alongside the town itself. But here's the part I want you to sit with for a second. This wasn't just a family home, though it was certainly that.

Artists came through those doors. Statesmen crossed that threshold. Whatever was happening in the wider world (culture, politics, ambition), the Cartwright House was a place where it got discussed, celebrated, entertained.

Third generation Texan builds a Victorian showpiece, raises ten children inside it, and throws open the doors to the artists and statesmen of his day. Some houses just have a way of becoming the center of things. The Cartwright House in Terrell was one of them.

What the marker says

Victorian residence, 1883. Built by third generation Texan, Matthew Cartwright (1855-1925), rancher, banker, civic leader; married Mary Cynthia Davenport. Had ten children. Entertained artists, statesmen in this house. One of first large homes in Terrell; enlarged 1893. Recorded Texas Historic Landmark, 1968