Starr Family Home

Duane's take

Here's my telling of what the official marker says about the Starr Family Home in Harrison County. Now settle in, because this one's got roots that run deep, and walls that have seen a whole lot of Texas history pass right through them. We're talking about the Starr family, and they were not folks who did things in a small way.

Dr. James Harper Starr, born in 1809, was the kind of man who seemed to show up wherever history was being made. A government official in the Republic of Texas.

A government official in the Confederacy. A leading physician and a businessman. That is a resume that covers a remarkable amount of ground, in every sense of the word.

Then comes 1870, and Dr. Starr and his son, James Franklin Starr, make a move. They relocate their land and banking agency all the way from Nacogdoches to Marshall, and when they arrive, they buy this land right here for their homes.

Not a home. Homes. The Starr family was planting itself.

Now Frank Starr, born in 1844, and his wife Clara, born in 1849, she came into the world as a Clapp before she became a Starr, they set about building something that would last. They called it Maplecroft. Originally it was a two-story center passage Greek Revival style home, the kind of place that announces itself with a certain dignity, a certain intention.

And it received later additions over the years, growing the way a family does. What makes Maplecroft something to linger on is what happened to it across time. Dr.

James Harper Starr passed in 1890. Frank Starr in 1902. Clara lived on until 1925.

And still the house stayed in the family. Decade after decade, Maplecroft held. It was not until 1976 that the house was finally deeded to the State of Texas, for public benefit.

That is a long time for one family and one house to hold on to each other. And now it belongs to all of us.

What the marker says

Dr. James Harper Starr (1809-1890) was a government official in the Republic of Texas and the Confederacy and a leading physician and businessman. In 1870, Dr. Starr and his son, James Franklin Starr (1844-1902), relocated their land and banking agency from Nacogdoches to Marshall, and bough this land for their homes. Frank Starr and his wife, Clara (Clapp) (1849-1925), built "Maplecroft", originally a two-story center passage Greek Revival style home which received later additions. The house remained in the family until 1976, when it was deeded to the State of Texas for public benefit. Recorded Texas Historic Landmark - 1964