HistoricSiteMarkers
Progressive & Modern Era

Carr-Taliaferro House

Sherman, Grayson County, Texas

Marker Inscription

Prosperous farmer-landowner Richard Bell Carr (1855-1918) and wife Susan (1858-1940) moved into town from cedar community. They employed highly-regarded contractor J. R. Barrow to design and build this dignified family residence in 1902. Their daughter Susiebel married John Cecil Taliaferro in the front parlor in 1915. Continuing to live here, the Taliaferros later inherited and enlarged the house. Recorded Texas Historic Landmark - 1978

Erected by Texas Historical Commission

The Story

Prosperous farmer and landowner Richard Bell Carr and his wife Susan moved into Sherman from the surrounding countryside and hired the respected contractor J. R. Barrow to design this dignified residence in 1902. Their daughter Susiebel was married in its front parlor in 1915, and the couple went on to inherit and enlarge the home. It was recognized as a Recorded Texas Historic Landmark in 1978.

Why it matters

The house embodies the confident domestic architecture of turn-of-the-century Texas, built as a rural family's success carried them into town life.

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Related people

  • · Richard Bell Carr
  • · Susan Carr
  • · J. R. Barrow
  • · Susiebel Taliaferro
  • · John Cecil Taliaferro

Themes & tags

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