Noyes House

Duane's take

Here's my telling of what the official marker says about the Noyes House in Gregg County. Now, not every story needs an oil boom or a gunfight. Sometimes the story worth telling is about a house that was built right, by people who knew what they wanted, and then just lasted.

The Noyes House is that kind of story. Architect Charles T. Freelove designed this home in the Meadowbrook Addition, and it was built in 1939.

Freelove gave it the Tudor revival treatment, and he did not skimp. Travertine on the exterior, oak and plaster in the gables, a tile shingle roof, and original interior details that are still there today. That is a house that meant to stay.

The first residents were Alvin Peter Noyes, known as A.P., born in 1899, and his wife Jane, born in 1906, née Branch. They moved in with their two children, and A.P. got to work. He served Kilgore as a city engineering consultant, designing several civic improvements, and stayed active in professional associations and boards along the way.

Here is the quiet part of the story that is worth sitting with. A.P. and Jane did not move on. They did not trade up or relocate.

They stayed in that house, the one Charles T. Freelove designed for them in 1939, for the rest of their lives. A.P. passed in 1965.

Jane in 1992. After that, the home was sold to new owners. The travertine is still standing.

The tile shingles are still on that roof. Some houses are built to impress, and some are built to keep. The Noyes House, it seems, was built to keep.

What the marker says

This Meadowbrook Addition home, designed by architect Charles T. Freelove, was built in 1939. The first residents were Alvin Peter "A.P." (1899-1965) and Jane (Branch) Noyes (1906-1992) and their two children. A.P. served Kilgore as a city engineering consultant, designing several civic improvements. He also was active in professional associations and boards. A.P. and Jane remained in the home the rest of their lives, after which the home was sold to new owners. The Tudor revival structure features a travertine exterior with oak and plaster gables and tile shingle roof, as well as original interior details. RECORDED TEXAS HISTORIC LANDMARK - 2023