DUANE
Duane's take
Here's my telling of what the official marker has to say about the Martin-Russell House in Denton County. Now settle in, because this one's got layers. Somewhere in Denton there stands a house with fourteen rooms, a sun parlor, a sleeping porch, a basement, and an attic — red brick veneer, white stone trim, a green-tinted metal tile roof with dormers, wrought iron balconies, arched windows with keystones, and a pedimented entryway door surround that says, in no uncertain terms, somebody meant business when they built this place.
And they did. The year was 1925, and the bill would run all the way to thirty thousand dollars before it was done in 1927. Fort Worth architect J.B.
Davies drew it up in the Georgian Revival style. H.F. Davidson swung the hammer as carpenter.
Charles N. Davis handled the brick and concrete work. Three men, one vision, and a symmetrical massing that's been turning heads ever since.
The house was built for Dr. M.L. Martin — born in South Carolina in 1869 — and his wife Ailsey, née Forester, born in 1890.
Now Ailsey didn't just marry into Denton County. She grew up on the Forester Ranch, established way back in 1852, right nearby. And when that ranch was divided in 1913, Ailsey received one-third of it — one-third of the spread that carried the famous Two-I-Jinglebob brand.
That's not nothing. That's roots running deep into the Texas soil. Dr.
Martin had done considerable traveling to get there. He earned a degree from Peabody College in Nashville, Tennessee, in 1892, then another from the University of Texas at Austin in 1899. He served in the medical corps during World War I.
And when the dust settled, he came back to Denton and doctored there for forty years — right up until his death in 1941. Ailsey lived on until 1968, long enough to see this house change hands and carry new stories within its walls. Those new hands belonged to James Holford Russell and his wife Ava Lee, née Mars.
J.H. Russell was a Pilot Point native, a University of Texas at Austin man himself, class of 1919. He and Ava Lee bought the property in 1945 and lived there until 1967.
For decades, Russell managed Russell's Department Store — a family business that had debuted right there in Denton in 1925, the same year the Martins broke ground on this very house. He was also a civic leader and a regent of Texas Woman's University. A man with his hand in the life of the community, living in a house that was already, by the time he arrived, the scene of numerous social and community events.
And here's the thing about this house. A doctor and a rancher's daughter built it. A civic leader and his wife carried it forward.
An architect from Fort Worth gave it its bones, and craftsmen gave it its character. Fourteen rooms. Two families.
One address in Denton County that's been a gathering place from the moment the mortar dried. Some houses are just houses. This one was always something more.
What the marker says
This prominent residence was built in 1925-27 at a cost of $30,000 for Dr. M.L. Martin (1869-1941) and his wife, Ailsey (Forester) Martin (1890-1968). Ailsey grew up on the nearby Forester Ranch (established 1852) and received one-third of the ranch of the famous "Two-I-Jinglebob" brand when it was divided in 1913. Dr. Martin was born in South Carolina and received degrees from Peabody College (Nashville, TN) in 1892 and the University of Texas at Austin in 1899. He served in the medical corps during World War I and was a doctor in Denton for forty years until his death. Pilot Point native James Holford Russell and wife, Ava Lee (Mars) Russell, bought this property in 1945. J.H. Russell earned a degree from the University of Texas at Austin in 1919 and for decades managed Russell's Department Store, part of a family business that debuted in Denton in 1925. He was also a civic leader and Texas Woman's University Regent. The Russells lived here until 1967. Fort Worth architect J.B. Davies designed the house, with H.F. Davidson as carpenter and Charles N. Davis in charge of brick and concrete work. The home has an attic and basement and 14 rooms, with a sun parlor, living room, dining room, breakfast room, kitchen and reception hall on the first floor, and four bedrooms, a sleeping porch, library and two bathrooms upstairs. Prominent features of the Georgian Revival style house include its red brick veneer and white stone trim, green-tinted metal tile roof with dormers, arched windows with keystones, pedimented entryway door surround, wrought iron balconies and symmetrical massing. Since its construction, the house has been the scene of numerous social and community events. Recorded Texas Historic Landmark - 2007