News-Info-Alerts

Re: Chasing History

From: POW-MIA InterNetwork

Date: September 16, 2003

"Whitewright home to get historical marker

BY JESSICA LIVINGSTON

HERALD DEMOCRAT

WHITEWRIGHT-- A century after it's construction, a Whitewright home was deemed worthy of preservation for its architectural integrity and historical associations by the Texas Historical Commission.

The Recorded Texas Historical Landmark, located on West Walnut Street near downtown Whitewright, is a Queen Anne Free Classic, more commonly known as Victorian style, house. It features a gabled roof, stained glass and port-hole windows, decorative woodwork, classical columns, coal-burning fireplaces, a cistern used to catch rainwater underneath the house, a balcony, and a wrap-around porch.

Original homeowners, Samuel and Mary Marshall, moved to Whitewright from Kentucky in the late 1860s, according to the THC. The Marshalls built the home in either 1899 or 1900, "after achieving success with their land investments and commercial businesses."

After their death, the approximately 3,500-square foot home exchanged hands seven times. In 1996, Randy and Cynthia Glover purchased the home.

Randy said, "We lived in suburbia, you know, four bedroom brick house, manicured lawn and all that. We decided we kind of wanted to move out of the area a ways and make a change."

The Glovers had their hopes set on a historical home that the two of them could restore -- neither having any background in home renovation -- and fit their family of six.

He said, "This is just the kind of lifestyle we were looking for. We are really interested in history and antiques."

Randy said a Realtor tipped them off to a house in Whitewright that fit the bill but wouldn't tell them exactly where it was located. Wanting to look at it by themselves, he said, "We drove out to Whitewright on one rainy Saturday. We saw this house and thought it must be the one. We got out in the rain, looked through the windows and decided to buy it."

The couple labored on their home after work on weekdays and on weekends, striving to complete the restoration and have the house approved by the THC as a historical landmarker.

Randy said, "It's like restoring art when we work on the house. It is just so beautiful."

In order to receive a marker, the Glovers not only had to restore the home, but document the home's history as well.

Randy said he started in the basement of the Grayson County Courthouse, gathering information from old, dusty tax books and legal documents.

"Research was kind of like putting pieces together," said Randy. "I would talk to this person and they would say, 'hey, have you talked to so-and-so,' so I would call that person and so forth."

After putting the pieces together, Randy found Claudia Doyle, a great-granddaughter of the original homeowners.

"Amazingly enough, they were into genealogy," said Randy. "They had all the history on the Marshall family and sent me a bunch of information I would have never gotten on my own."

With the information, Randy learned the Marshalls traveled to Whitewright in a covered-wagon, along which two or three of their children died. He also learned that Samuel was a farmer before opening a furniture store in Whitewright and built caskets and drove a hearse on the side. He was a Civil War Veteran, served in the Confederate Army as a quarter-master, and was captured twice and taken prisoner of war. Mary was what Randy believed to be a "progressive woman," since she bought and sold land lots in her name -- a practice not typical in the early 1900s. Samuel preceded Mary in death in 1911 at the age of 73. She died in 1924 at the age of 84. Both Samuel and Mary had their bodies shipped by train, both passed away out-of-state, to have their wake at the Whitewright home.

The Glovers, well on the way to a full restoration and assembling a story tracing the Marshall family history, still lacked one piece of information necessary for a historical landmarker application -- a historically accurate photograph that is more than 50 years old.

"I was having a problem finding a photograph," said Randy, which delayed the process he and Cynthia were anxious to complete.

"Doyle's brother, who lived in Wichita, Kan., died during my research. Doyle went to Kansas to go through his belongings, and in a pile of photographs found a picture. It unfortunately took a person dying for me to get the photo."

So, Randy sent the application first to the county level, then to Austin for approval.

"Sometimes it can take up to six months or a year for approval," said Glover, "fortunately mine was approved almost immediately."

Randy said the marker was a long time coming, "for one thing we have been here for seven years and it has been a goal of ours to do this." Also, the Glovers actually received the marker in 2000, but postponed the dedication ceremony to more complete the home.

But, with the home nearly 75-percent restored, Randy said he is ready to hang the marker he and Cynthia have worked so hard to get.

On Saturday, Sept. 13, at 1 p.m., the Glovers will open their home, located at 301 West Walnut Street in Whitewright, to the community and hold a dedication ceremony. Randy said U.S. Rep. Ralph Hall, State Rep. Larry Philips and State Sen. Craig Estes have been invited, and many invited guests have confirmed."