Pearl C. Matthews purchased this property in 1900 when he and his brother Will, owners of a McKinney department store, opened a second establishment in Ennis. He and his wife Virgie (Thompson) lived in a cottage at this site until 1908 when they constructed the present house. Harry Atwood (1873-1948), a native of Arkansas, purchased the home in 1917. His wife Bessie (Craig) deeded the residence to their son Felix Atwood (1908-1974) in 1955. A Lieutenant Colonel during World War II, Atwood lived here and maintained a law office in Dallas.