605 W Nugent St

The McCreary Home

In the early 1930s, Dr. Palmer and Marie Porter Woodson built a graceful Colonial Revival style home just around the corner from Dr. Woodson’s father’s home which is now known as the “Chinese Mansion”. Dr. Palmer Woodson was an Ear, Eyes, Nose, and Throat Specialist, and he practiced medicine with his father and brother at the Woodson Clinic. When the Palmer Woodsons relocated to Austin in 1946, they sold their home to friends, Irvin and Mary Vivian McCreary. Mr. McCreary was chairman of the Farmers State Bank, later known as Temple National Bank. Mary Vivian and Irvin were both dedicated public school advocates. As a result, Mr. McCreary served on the Texas State Board of Education and was one of the founders of the Texas Teachers Retirement System. Mrs. McCreary was very active in numerous civic organizations and contributed greatly to the establishment and maintenance of various service associations within the City of Temple. The McCreary family spent almost half a century enjoying the home and grounds of their West Nugent Street home, eventually selling the property in 1993. Residents of the McCreary Home have since continued in the tradition of maintaining the rich presence of this historic home of civic founders at both local and state levels.