DUANE
Duane's take
Here's how the marker on this one reads, in my own telling. Now, some buildings just sit there. Four walls, a roof, mind their own business, never amount to much.
But every now and then, a building gets pulled into something bigger than itself — and that's exactly what happened on this particular block in Fort Worth. It starts in 1905, when a man named J.F. Moore had a house built right here.
Fine house, presumably. Served its purpose. But Moore wouldn't hold onto it forever — in 1920, he sold it to Baptist Hospital, who put it to work as a Nurses Residence.
So now this house has gone from private home to something altogether more serious: shelter and sanctuary for the women keeping that hospital running. Then 1949 rolls around, and the Fort Worth Woman's Club makes their move. They buy the property — and with that purchase, the club now holds the entire block.
The whole thing. That's not an accident; that's intention. And when they named the hall, they named it for Mrs.
H.C. Meacham — a charter member of the Fort Worth Woman's Club and, for many years, one of its Directors. Charter member.
That means she was there at the beginning, when there was nothing yet to point to and say, look what we built. She helped build it. So this building — Moore's house from 1905, a nurses' residence by 1920, a cornerstone of an entire block by 1949 — ended up carrying her name.
Margaret Meacham Hall. Some buildings really do amount to something.
What the marker says
Named in honor of Mrs. H.C. Meacham, charter member and many years a Director of Fort Worth Woman's Club. House built, 1905, by J.F. Moore; sold, 1920, to Baptist Hospital as Nurses Residence. Bought by Woman's Club, 1949, giving club entire block. Recorded Texas Historic Landmark, 1967.