HistoricSiteMarkers
Progressive & Modern Era

Collins-Shotwell House

Lufkin, Angelina County, Texas

Marker Inscription

Attorney Chester B. Collins (1888-1960) built this house in the early 1920s with lumber provided by Lillian Knox whom he had successfully defended in a murder case. The 2-story bungalow features corbeled brick piers, wide gables with brackets, a corbeled chimney cap, and unusual window patterns. The Jean Shotwell family, property owners from 1936 to 1974 rented the house in 1937 to the family of Marvin L. Marsh, Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) district commander. Recorded Texas Historic Landmark - 1992

Erected by Texas Historical Commission

The Story

Attorney Chester B. Collins built this two-story bungalow in the early 1920s, using lumber given to him by a client, Lillian Knox, whom he had successfully defended in a murder case. Its distinctive details include corbeled brick piers, bracketed gables, and unusual window patterns. From 1936 to 1974 the Jean Shotwell family owned it, and in 1937 rented it to the family of the local Civilian Conservation Corps district commander, Marvin L. Marsh.

Why it matters

The house captures the texture of small-town professional life in interwar East Texas, right down to the New Deal-era work of the CCC.

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Related people

  • · Chester B. Collins
  • · Lillian Knox
  • · Jean Shotwell
  • · Marvin L. Marsh

Themes & tags

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