Roberts House

Duane's take

Here's my telling of what the official marker says about the Roberts House in Sherman, Grayson County. Now settle in, because this one's the story of a man who traveled a long road — from Connecticut all the way to Texas — and left something behind worth stopping for. Charles Nathan Roberts was born in 1836, a Connecticut native, which in Texas is about as far from local as you can get.

Before the Civil War had even fired its first shot, he'd already pulled up stakes and moved to Arkansas. When the war came, he served as a captain in the Confederate Army. After it was over, he married a woman named Emma Royston, and together they started building a life.

By 1876, that life had landed them in Sherman, Texas. Roberts established a retail hardware business, purchased a piece of property, and built a small cottage for his family. Now, a cottage is a modest start — but Roberts wasn't a modest man in his ambitions.

His business prospered, expanded into the wholesale market, and as the money followed the work, so did his place in the community. He served on the local school board, on the board of trustees at Austin College, and both he and Emma were active lay leaders in Sherman's first Presbyterian church. The man was plugged in.

By 1896, the cottage just wasn't going to cut it anymore. Roberts and Emma hired the architectural firm of Moad and Elliott to design them a proper home — right there on that same property where the little cottage had stood. The new house was completed in 1897, for less than nine thousand dollars, and what they got for that money was something.

It's a Queen Anne-Eastlake style residence — and if you're not sure what that means, let your eyes do the work when you see it. Asymmetrical massing, so the house seems to lean into itself with intention. Milled wood details used liberally, like the builders couldn't help themselves.

Shingled gable ends. Roof cresting and finials reaching skyward. Varied colors and contrasting finishes that make the whole thing look like it's dressed for an occasion.

Emma Roberts lived in that house until her death in 1937. After she passed, the house was inherited by the couple's son, Charles Stanly Roberts, born in 1878 and living all the way to 1972. It stayed in his family until 1987.

A Connecticut boy's hardware money, built into something that outlasted nearly everyone who remembered him building it. That's a long echo for one man's ambition.

What the marker says

Connecticut native Charles Nathan Roberts (1836-1920) moved to Arkansas prior to the Civil War. He served as a captain in the Confederate Army, and after the war he married Emma Royston. By 1876 they had moved to Sherman, where Roberts established a retail hardware business, purchased this property, and built a small cottage for his family. As Roberts' business prospered and expanded into the wholesale market, he became active in civic affairs, serving on the local school board and the Austin College board of trustees. Both he and Emma were active lay leaders in Sherman's first Presbyterian church. In 1896 they hired the architectural firm of Moad and Elliott to design a new home to replace their cottage on this site. Completed in 1897 for less than $9,000, the house is a fine example of a Queen Anne-Eastlake style residence. It exhibits hallmark features of the style, including asymmetrical massing, liberal use of milled wood details, shingled gable ends, roof cresting and finials, and varied colors and contrasting finishes. Following Emma Roberts' death in 1937, the house was inherited by the couple's son, Charles Stanly Roberts (1878-1972). It remained in his family until 1987. Recorded Texas Historic Landmark - 1993