Referred to as the “Collins’ House” because of Teague residents’ living memories, was built in the 1800s by Dr. Felix Grundy Traynham and his wife, Lillie Coleman, at 814 Magnolia St.
The house is a stop on the annual Tour of Homes, from 6 to 9 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 14.
A descendant of one of the oldest families in South Carolina, Traynham came with his parents and siblings to Texas in 1884. He was a cultured man who was knowledgeable in many areas. Traynham graduated at the top of his Class of 1856 from the medical branch of Transylvania University in Louisville, Kent.. He was on the cutting edge of medicine, having studied allopathic medicine, the new germ theory medicine, a change from the bloodletting and the prescribing of high doses of mineral poisons which were common at this time.
Traynham married Lillie Coleman in 1893, the same year they moved to Cotton Gin. In 1912, while keeping ownership of their house and the vast area of farmland that he cultivated, the Traynhams purchased land in the rap- developing Teague. Its cost was $500, and the original deed describes the location as “...beginning point being the 9th Avenue end of the town of Teague, Texas.”
The Traynham house was unique in this era. Its architectural style is Beaux Arts Bungalow, a new-to-America design introduced at the 1893 Chicago World’s Fair and said to have a “profound effect on American architecture.” The Beaux Arts design is based on symmetry, balance and splendor with an interior grand staircase and high-ceiling rooms. The elevated entry is flanked by two Ionic Empire-style columns with the porch supported by Tuscan columns on brick piers. The façade is symmetrical with deep eaves, a pyramid roof with pediment gable dormers, and Dentil style molding gracing the pediment and front upper three windows. exterior colonnades, and decorative elements such as Dentil style notched block shapes gracing the pediment and front upper three windows. The Dentil style also originated in the Beaux Arts movement.
Dr. Traynham held his clinic in his home at 814 Magnolia. There is a separate entry door on the 9th Avenue side that is thought to have been the entrance used for his visiting patients. He was a director of the Farmers’ and Merchants’ Bank of Teague and opened the Traynham Drug Company to better serve his patients. Described “as the single most devastating to Cotton Gin and surrounding communities was that of Dr. Felix G. Traynham. He had served these communities for many years. Though ill himself, he made one last call to see Mrs. John King (Permelia), another flu patient in the neighboring community of Shanks, will be always remembered for his kindness and true dedication. Dr. Traynham and Lillie had moved back to Cotton Gin where he died in November 1918 during the Spanish flu epidemic. Mrs. King’s nephew, Traynham Moore, was named after the good doctor.” The name,“Traynham” continues to be part of Joe Traynham Moore’s descendants, and today, Todd Traynham Moore is a banker in Waco. In gratitude for their remembrance, Lillie Traynham left 100 acres of land to Joe Traynham Moore in her will.
Several families have called 814 Magnolia St. their home, including R.M. Thompson, R.E. Hays, E.V. Collins, Thomas F. Collins, Bruce Butler and its present owner, Scott and Laurel Adami.
Since purchasing the home, the Adamis always decorate beautifully during the holiday season. They will be opening their doors to welcome those that wish to view their home from 6 to 9 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 14, for the Tour of Homes. Other homes on the Tour of Home list include the McMichael House and the Hendon House. The B-RI Railroad Museum and the Historic Teague Hotel will also be on the Tour of Homes list.
Tickets for the Tour of Homes are available to purchase at The Honeysuckle, Yoakum Mercantile, Prosperity Bank main lobby, Brookshire Brothers in Teague, and the B-RI Railroad museum. Tickets are $10 each. All proceeds will benefit the B-RI Railroad Museum and the Historic Teague Hotel.
