Matthews-Johnson House

Duane's take

Here's my telling of what the official marker has to say about the Matthews-Johnson House in Harris County. Now settle in, because sometimes the most remarkable stories live inside four walls. We're talkin' about a house, sure, but what a house it is, and what lives passed through it.

It started with William and Regina Matthews, she being a Meyers before she married, and in 1915 they had this place built. William was a civil engineer and chief draftsman for the Sunset Central Lines, which is a way of saying the man knew exactly how things ought to be put together. He contracted with W.

T. Carter Lumber and Building Co. to erect it, and whoever swung those hammers, they did right by the job. What they produced was an early Craftsman bungalow with late Victorian influences, and it has held together well enough that folks are still talking about it today.

A hipped roof up top, a gabled front entry to welcome you in, an L-shaped porch held up by tapered square wood columns, tracery windows letting the light in just so, and exposed rafter ends that say this builder wasn't hiding a thing. That kind of honest craftsmanship has a way of lasting. Now, the Matthews held onto that house for fifteen years, and then in 1930 they sold it to Ernest and Gertrude Johnson.

Ernest was a pumper and labor leader for the Sinclair Oil Co., a man who understood pressure in more ways than one. And here is where the story takes a quietly beautiful turn. The Johnsons had five daughters.

Five. So they looked up at that attic, and they got to work, converting those attic spaces into bedrooms with dormer windows, letting light and air into what had been empty space, making room for five lives to unfold under that good Craftsman roof. That house went from a draftsman's vision to a family's necessity, and it stood through all of it without flinching.

What the marker says

William and Regina (Meyers) Matthews had this house built in 1915. William, a civil engineer and chief draftsman for the Sunset Central Lines, contracted with W. T. Carter Lumber and Building Co. to erect the house. The house is a well-preserved early Craftsman bungalow with late Victorian influences. Significant architectural elements include a hipped roof, gabled front entry, L-shaped porch with tapered square wood columns, tracery windows and exposed rafter ends. In 1930, the Matthews sold the house to Ernest and Gertrude Johnson. Ernest was a pumper and labor leader for the Sinclair Oil Co., and the Johnsons converted attic spaces to bedrooms with dormer windows for their five daughters. Recorded Texas Historic Landmark - 2008