Starr Family Home State Historic Site

Maplecroft stands at 407 West Travis Street in Marshall. Frank Starr built the Greek Revival house in 1871 on land his father, Dr. James Harper Starr, had bought in 1870 and deeded to him. Frank and his wife Clara raised six daughters here. Ruth Starr Blake, one of the daughters, later came home, inherited the house and in the 20th century redecorated it to display her large glass and china collection.

Her niece, Clara Pope Willoughby, left the property and its contents to the State of Texas on her death in 1985, and the site opened as a museum in 1986. The state's visitor guide says the house is preserved as Mrs. Willoughby left it. The service wing was restored in 2019 to its 1880s look, with a kitchen where visitors can see wood-stove cooking. The cook there in the 1880s was Lucy Patterson. On the grounds, the schoolhouse where the Starr girls had early lessons was built as a retirement home for a formerly enslaved person.

The site is open Tuesday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Adult admission is $5, with lower rates for seniors, veterans, teachers, first responders and children. The Blake House and the homes the four daughters built nearby are within walking distance of Maplecroft.