Mathews-Powell House
Miller St., Queen City, TXThe Mathews-Powell House, an excellent example of the symmetrical Victorian architecture has maintained its graceful gingerbread and ornate detailing with exterior structural changes only in the form of rear additions. Built in 1878 as one of the first houses in the newly settled Queen City, the house not only reflects the founding of the new town, but also the contributions of two of Queen City's prominent businessmen, William Franklin Mathews and Ross Albert Powell.
William F. Mathews, born in 1840 moved from Georgia with his parents to Marion County near Jefferson at the age of 10. Upon the outbreak of the Civil War, he joined the Confederate forces, enlisting in a mounted company of volunteers. On April 17, 1867, he married to Harriet India Sharp and operated a plantation in Marion County for 10 years.
With the establishment of Queen City in 1877, Mathews moved with his family to the new town and attended the first auction of town lots. The Mathews family bought property on Miller Street and lived in temporary quarters at the rear of the lot until 1878 when the home was finished.
In partnership with his younger brother, Joseph P. Mathews, Jr., William established a grocery in the new town. After two years, Joseph sold his interest in the business to attend medical school, and his share was bought by William's brother-in-law, S. J. Hood. The business expanded to a general mercantile store and operated until 1895 under the firm name, Matthews and Hood. After two tragic fires that destroyed Mathews' first commercial buildings a permanent building of brick was erected in 1884 that currently stands one block from the Mathews-Powell House in the Queen City business district. Due to poor health, William Mathews sold the home and business in 1895 and moved his family to Texarkana to join his son.
Listed in National Register of Historic Places in 1977.
The National Register of Historic Places is the official list of the Nation’s historic places worthy of preservation. Authorized by the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966, the National Park Service’s National Register of Historic Places is part of a national program to coordinate and support public and private efforts to identify, evaluate, and protect America’s historic and archeological resources.