Come on in
Homes tour benefits historical society
By The Emporia Gazette (Contact)
Friday, December 7, 2007
Several Emporia homes will be welcoming visitors this weekend for the Lyon County Historical Society 2007 Holiday Homes Tour.
There are five homes on the tour and the Lyon County Historical Museum, 118 E. Sixth Ave., and the Archives, 225 E. Sixth Ave., will be open to the public.
The tour is $10 per person at the door. Proceeds benefit the operation and programs of the Lyon County Historical Society. The tour will run from 6:30 to 8 p.m. Saturday and from 1 to 4 p.m. Sunday.
These homes are on the tour.
The H.C. Cross House
The Cross House, 526 Union St., was built in 1893-1894, by Emporia’s first mayor, H.C. Cross. It was designed by Emporia architect Charles W. Squires. The house was built on the property of the Cross’s former residence of 30 years.
At the time the house was built, it was one of the most elaborate and modern homes in Emporia. H.C. Cross did not get to enjoy his home for long. He died of heart failure in 1894 while on a business trip to Michigan. His wife Susan lived in the home until her death in 1902.
Several more people owned the home before Robert and Deborah Rodak purchased it in 1999 and began restoring it. The Rodaks now live in the house next door (the house where H.C. and Susan lived while the large house was being built.
The H.W. Brinkman/Harrison Parkman/C. Edward Gray House
This home at 917 State St. was designed and built by Emporia architect Henry Brinkman and his wife as their home. Brinkman designed many churches, public buildings and residences throughout Kansas. Completed in fall of 1913, the three-story home features a center hall and staircase and mahogany woodwork and oak floors are throughout the home.
Several people owned the home throughout the years including Bertha Newman Sprague, daughter of George Newman, owner of the former Newman’s Department Store; Harrison Parkman, one-time Emporia postmaster and publisher of the Emporia Times newspaper; and local contractor C. Edward Gray and his wife Edith. Gray was involved in the construction of many state highway projects.
Since the Grays sold the home in 1978, it has been owned by several more families. Each family added to its renovation without altering the original ambiance of the home. It’s now owned by Joe and Vietta Partridge.
The Charles F. Grob House
This home at 512 Exchange St. was built around 1910 and contains some components of the Queen Anne style architecture, but largely reflects the Craftsman style that was spreading around the country. It was built by Charles F. Grob who came to Emporia in the early 1880s and owned a meat market in the 200 block of Commercial Street. In 1912, Grob because a director of Emporia State Bank and later one of its vice-presidents.
Grob married Carrie Bell Brown in 1892. She died in 1900. He then married Lillie Fix who died in 1928. In 1933, Grob married Martha Duttweiler. Grob died in 1939. Martha married Joseph Quinn and died in 1960. Mr. Quinn lived in the home until 1973. The house has since had several owners until being purchased by Robert McCurdy and Tracy Greene.
During this time, the home was well-maintained and preserved. There are four bedrooms on the second floor and the third floor has been converted into an informal family/recreation room.
The Fred B. Clogston House
This shingle-sided home at 928 Neosho St. is common to the four-square Craftsman style home. Architectural features of the home include the entryway which has an open staircase with leaded glass windows. Functional pocket doors separate the entryway from the living room.
The home was built in 1913 for Fred B. Clogston and his wife Lulu. Clogston was a salesman for the National Biscuit Co. for more than 40 years.
Clogston was elected city commissioner in 1949 and chosen mayor in 1950. In his spare time, he and his wife maintained one of the finest lawns in Emporia. He was a pioneer in the use of U-3 Bermuda grass and grew some unusual evergreen trees.
Several families owned the home until Mike and Shelly Wise purchased it in 2002. Since that time, they have updated the bathrooms and kitchen.
The Howe House and Welsh Farmstead
This 1860s Welsh farmstead at 315 Logan Ave. was occupied for 140 years by three generations of the Howe family and was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1986. It was built in 1867 by Richard Howe, a Welsh immigrant stonemason. Construction was begun before the beginning of the Civil War and remains complete as it was originally platted and was owned by three generations of the same family until it was willed to the Lyon County Historical Society by Sarah Howe, the granddaughter of Richard Howe.
This home is one of Emporia’s oldest homes. Richard Howe and his wife, Sarah, were among the first of many Welsh settlers in the Cottonwood River Valley.