The 3-story Victorian mansion, built in 1893 by Carl Sites, has been restored to authentic specifications as an excellent example of the late Queen Anne Style. Original woodwork has been retained throughout, with multi-leveled staircases in the entry and a winding staircase in the rear.
Built in 1893
This beautifully restored Craftsman home was originally built circa 1915 by Thomas Manley Brittain for his bride Miss Ludie C. Cartwright, formerly of San Augustine, Texas, and daughter of Mr. Lon Cartwright. Mr. Cartwright gave them the property as a wedding gift. In 1929, a fire started in the furnace destroying the then two-story home except for the concrete basement. Using the original basement as the foundation, like the Phoenix rising from the ashes, the house was rebuilt as the one-story building it is today. The Brittains remained in the home until Mrs. Brittain passed away in 1970.
This stucco-covered 1920’s era bungalow of solid brick construction was built by Mr. and Mrs. Cumby Cartwright from the brick taken from the chimneys of Mr. Cartwright’s father’s home, which originally stood on the site.
The Griffith-West home is located on a site of historical importance in the history of Terrell – the corner of Johnson and First Street, where was originally built about 1876 the home of Jasper and Susan Johnson, developers of Johnson Addition in Terrell. The home was built in 1909 as an architectural style of Colonial Revival, made popular in the Connecticut Pavilion at the World’s Fair in Chicago in 1893. The original internal floor plan was essentially unchanged, although with some more modern conveniences.
This Victorian house was built in 1887 for J.O. Terrell. Mr. Terrell was a newspaper editor, poet, orator, lawyer, judge, State Senator, candidate for Governor of Texas and stepson of R.A. Terrell, for whom the town is named. He sold the home to Jarvis Family in 1985.
Col. Ned Green, president of the Texas Midland Railroad and only son of the richest woman in the world, Hetty Green, rented a room in this Queen Anne Victorian house from the Jarvis family for $25 a month for 20 years. He stored a wooden leg and a pair of trousers in an armoire to claim Terrell as his residence for tax purposes.
This Tudor Revival House was built in 1928. The home was designed by Dallas architectural firm, Fooshee and Cheek. It was the home of city alderman and commissioner, Walter Peck Allen, and his wife, America Cartwright. Mr. Allen was instrumental in transitioning the city to a city manager form of government. A banker, Mr. Allen was an organizer and later president of American National Bank. He also helped ensure Terrell was one of the Royal Air Force training locations during WWII.
This mural was painted on the side of the Terrell Volunteer Fire Department at the southwest corner of South Frances and the Railroad tracks. The mural celebrates Terrell Volunteer Fire Department’s long time relationship with the City of Terrell as the city’s only fire department for many years. Shown in the fire truck on the right is former Volunteer Fire Chief John R. Briggs and in the fire truck on the left, former longtime volunteer fireman Dowell Harper. This mural was painted by Sunny Delipsey and was sponsored by The Terrell Heritage Society.
This mural was painted by Sunny Delipsey and was sponsored by The Terrell Heritage Society and a generous donor.
Terrell was a great circus town, and the railroads made it easy for the circus to come to town. At times, the population of the town would double on circus day.
1893 was a year of great financial panic, so the Sells Brothers Circus (one of the two largest circuses in the country at that time) cut their admission to fifty cents a person and people flooded in. At the time of the parade prior to the circus, there were an estimated 10,000 persons packed on Moore Avenue between Frances and Virginia Streets, on the side streets, and at the railroad depot. As the poster shows, Buffalo Bill’s Wild West Show came to Terrell with the circus!
At the far end of the mural, there is a depiction of this scene described in an article from the local paper: “W.E. Lumpkin, proprietor of the Splendid Grocery, being well aware of the weakness of country people for cheese and crackers, provided 300 pounds of the former and several boxes of the latter. Before noon, the whole supply was gone! When it is remembered that nearly every grocery establishment in the city was likewise provided it may be conjectured what an immense amount of cheese and crackers was devoured by the crowd on that day.”
Mural painted by Sunny Delipsey.
Photo provided by Prouty Photography in Terrell, Tx.
