Griffith House
Terrell, Kaufman County, Texas
Marker Inscription
This 1909 house was designed by noted Dallas architect, James E. Flanders, for Lycurgus Edward (L.E.) Griffith, Jr. (1865-1928), and his second wife, Netta Washington (Morrill) Griffith. The site originally housed the c.1876 home of early Terrell residents Jasper W. Johnson and his wife, Susan. The original basement and two outbuildings remain on the property. L.E. Griffith established the L.E. Griffith Drug Company, was president of First State Bank, active in the Terrell Chamber of Commerce, director of the local newspaper and a strong supporter of agricultural development. Recorded Texas Historic Landmark – 2017
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
Built in 1909 to a design by noted Dallas architect James E. Flanders, this house was home to druggist and banker L.E. Griffith Jr. and his wife, Netta, rising on the site of an 1876 dwelling whose basement and outbuildings still remain. Griffith founded the L.E. Griffith Drug Company, presided over First State Bank, and worked through the Chamber of Commerce and local newspaper to champion the town's agricultural growth. The home reflects the influence of a leading merchant in early-20th-century Terrell.
Why it matters
It illustrates how small-town business leaders drove commerce, banking, and agricultural development across turn-of-the-century Texas, leaving their mark in landmark homes.
Own a business near here? Add it to the map.
Related people
- · Lycurgus Edward Griffith Jr.
- · Netta Washington Morrill Griffith
- · James E. Flanders
Themes & tags
Nearby & related markers
Walter P. and Meck Allen House
Terrell, TX
Walter Payne Allen, a banker who helped organize and later led Terrell's American National Bank, married America "Meck" Cartwright in 1893 and became a leading civic figure—serving as alderman and commissioner and helping bring a Royal Air Force training center to town during World War II. In 1928 the couple built this Tudor Revival house, designed by the Dallas firm Fooshee and Cheek, with half-timbering, decorative masonry, and an overhanging jettied second floor. It stands as a Recorded Texas Historic Landmark.
Duncan and Emma McKellar House
Forney, TX
Duncan Graham McKellar and his wife Emma built this two-story frame house in 1886, when the couple stood at the center of Forney and Kaufman County's economic, social, and religious life. Its Queen Anne and Eastlake detailing made it one of the town's first high-style residences, and it remains the oldest surviving example of the style there. The McKellar family owned and lived in the home until 2010.
William and Blanche Brooks House
Forney, TX
Built in 1898 on a lot given as a wedding gift, this Queen Anne house was the home of William A. and Blanche Brooks, among Forney's leading business and civic figures. Designed by Dallas architect Charles Alexander Gill and updated with Colonial Revival touches in 1915, it shows off a round turret, ornate chimneys, and a wraparound porch typical of the town's turn-of-the-century prosperity. It survives as a signature piece of Forney's architectural heritage.
Kaufman County Poor Farm
Kaufman, TX
Like many Texas counties in the 1880s, Kaufman County opened a poor farm in 1883 to shelter and feed indigent residents while replacing older, ad hoc relief. All able-bodied residents worked the land, and by 1893 even county inmates convicted of minor crimes lived on site; in the 1930s the farm doubled as a showcase for new agricultural methods. Usually filled to capacity, it operated into the 1970s, leaving behind a cemetery and a few buildings.