Roberts House

Connecticut native Charles Nathan Roberts (1836-1920) moved to Arkansas prier to the Civil War. He served as a captain in the Confederate army, and after the war he married Emma Royston. By 1876 they had moved to Sherman, where Roberts established a retail hardware business, purchased this property, and built a small cottage for his family. As Roberts' business prospered and expanded into the wholesale market, he became active in civic affairs, serving on the local school board and the Austin College board of trustees. Both he and Emma were active lay leaders in Sherman's First Presbyterian Church. In 1896 they hired the architectural firm of Moad and Elliott to design a new home to replace their cottage on this site. Completed in 1897 for less than $9,000, the house is a fine example of Queen Anne-Eastlake style residence. It exhibits hallmark features of the style, including asymmetrical massing, liberal use of milled wood details, shingled gable ends, roof cresting and finials, and varied colors and contrasting finishes. Following Emma Roberts' death in 1937, the house was inherited by the couple's son, Charles Stanly Roberts (1878-1972). It remained in his family until 1987. (RTHL - 1993)