Moore House

Duane's take

Well, the official marker's got the story, and here's my telling of it — so let me do it justice. Now, if you're rolling through Ennis, Ellis County, and you happen to spot a house that looks like it wandered off a plantation postcard and decided to put down roots right there in town — with fluted Ionic and Doric columns, roofline balustrades crowned with urns, a garland motif running along the porch frieze, and a dominant central entry bay that says *I have arrived* in no uncertain terms — well, that right there is the Moore House. Built in 1905.

And friend, the story behind those columns is something else entirely. Let's start with Malinda Anderson. She came to Texas with her family in the 1850s — before the war, before the railroads changed everything, back when Texas was still figuring out what it wanted to be.

She first married a man named James Robert Farrar in 1868. Now, Farrar was not a man who left this world empty-handed. When he died in 1888, he left Malinda substantial land and business holdings.

And here is where the story gets interesting — because Malinda did not let those holdings gather dust. She managed them. With diligence.

A woman in 1888, sitting atop a fortune, running it herself. You want a Texas character? There she is.

Now on the other side of this tale, you've got Hardin T. Moore. His family came to Texas in the 1830s — which means they were practically here before the paint dried on the Republic.

They settled in neighboring Kaufman County. Hardin was a Civil War veteran, a stockman, a cattle merchant, and census records peg him as a man with property left to him after his father died. He also appears to have had interest in a real estate and loan business, which tells you he knew how to make money move.

But life had not been easy on him either. His first wife died in 1872. He remarried.

His second wife died in 1888. Same year Malinda's first husband died, as it happens. Funny how years work sometimes.

So here you've got two people — both widowed, both weathered, both with the kind of wealth that comes from outlasting hard times — and in 1892, Malinda Anderson and Hardin T. Moore got married. They lived on a ranch east of Ennis first, which sounds about right.

But by 1905, they built the house. And when I say they built it, I mean they *built* it. Neoclassical Revival.

The size and craftsmanship of that house reflects, as the marker says, the wealth and prominence of the family. This was not a house that whispered. This was a house that made a declaration.

Now, life being what it is — even a house that grand can't hold everything together. By 1914, the Moores had separated. But Malinda — Malinda stayed.

She lived in that house right up until her death in 1930. Twenty-five years in those rooms, underneath those urns and balustrades, surrounded by those columns. And when they laid her to rest, they buried her at Myrtle Cemetery in Ennis.

Right between the graves of her two husbands. James Robert Farrar on one side. Hardin T.

Moore on the other. I don't know if that was her wish, or just how things fell, but either way — in death as in life, Malinda Anderson wound up the one holding the whole thing together. The Moore House was recorded as a Texas Historic Landmark in 2002.

Those columns are still standing. So is her story.

What the marker says

Moore House Built in 1905 for Malinda (Anderson) and Hardin T. Moore, this Neoclassical Revival house is a significant part of Ennis' architectural history. The Moores married in 1892, after both Malinda and Hardin had been widowed in previous marriages. They lived on a ranch east of Ennis before moving into town after the house was built. Malinda Anderson came to Texas with her family in the 1850s and first married James Robert Farrar in 1868. Farrar died a wealthy man in 1888, leaving Malinda substantial land and business holdings, which she managed with diligence. Hardin T. Moore had come to Texas with his family in the 1830s and settled in neighboring Kaufman County. A Civil War veteran, Moore also had property in the region left to him after his father died. Census records showed him as a stockman and cattle merchant, but he also appears to have had interest in a real estate and loan business. After his first wife died in 1872, he remarried, and his second wife died in 1888. The size and craftsmanship of the Moore House reflects the wealth and prominence of the family. Its Neoclassical elements are exhibited in the fluted ionic and Doric columns, the roofline balustrades with urns, the garland motif decorating the porch frieze, and the dominant central entry bay. By 1914, the Moores had separated, but Malinda continued living here until her death in 1930. She is buried at Myrtle Cemetery in Ennis between the graves of her two husbands. Recorded Texas Historic Landmark - 2002