A piece of Emporia history is getting a facelift as a local family aims to restore the house, grounds and outbuildings.
Marty Canaday and her family are restoring a home and its grounds that has been in her family for many years. The property, located in the 1100 block of West South Avenue, comes with a rich history. Canaday said the house has always been a part of the community since it inception.
“It’s sheltered people in the community its whole life,” she said.
Canaday said the home and barn were built by M.W. Gilchrist in 1876. The home and barn will be 135 this year. When the barn was built, it was the biggest barn in the county, Canaday said.
The land was previously owned by William Jay, who advertised a suburban farm of more than 40 acres for sale. According to a July 21, 1876, article, the land brought inquiries from eastern parties.
“We found its site far superior and the view so much more beautiful on every side than what we had supposed,” the article stated. “We came away with the conviction that there is no more desirable suburban villa in this vicinity, if there is any equal to it.”
The article stated that an entirely new residence had been built — that home is the home that still stands on the property now. The home is 2,000 square feet and is two stories plus a basement.
“At the time it was built it was the nicest home around Emporia,” Canaday said, adding that at the time, the home was in the county. Emporia had not sprawled that far yet.
The home’s custom features, such as the large windows, had to be hauled in, and, in the 1800s, they had to be hauled in by horse and wagon, Canaday said.
The article also talked about the orchard, which included 600 fruit trees near the rear of the home.
“Two wells of fine water are on the premises,” the article stated.
Gilchrist was an influential community member. An 1886 article talked about the “M.W. Gilchrist Block.” A new brick block was being built by Gilchrist on an old livery stable lot and was said to “doubtless be one of the finest buildings of the kind to be found anywhere in the state. The stable, besides containing buggy room, office and other departments will have a capacity of 100 stalls.”
Gilchrist sold the property and moved after his wife died in childbirth in the home, Canaday said. Afterwards, the property had several owners over the years including Sylvan Nation in 1893. Nation owned the property until 1899. Nation was a cattleman who owned thousands of acres in Greenwood County, Canaday said.
The property belonged to Roy and Helen Kram from 1926 to 1946. The Krams did a lot of groundswork to the property including lifting the house and building several stone structures around the property.
After several more owners, the property eventually ended up in Canaday’s family in the 1970s. The home and its grounds have fallen into disrepair and Canaday said she and her husband acquired the home a year and a half ago. They plan on restoring it to its original beauty.
“This is the house that love built,” she said. “I’ve been coming here since I was a little kid. I love this place. I can’t wait for it to be beautiful and not an eyesore. By the end of August it will be a different house.”
Canaday hopes the home will be around for generations to come.
“If I restore it, it’ll be here for another 100 years,” she said.
Richie (anonymous) says...
Wonderful news! Historic preservation is a significant key to reviving a community and its history.
July 12, 2011 at 8:05 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
Steve_Corbin (anonymous) says...
Recycling at it's best!
July 12, 2011 at 9:40 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
create (anonymous) says...
Wow, this is an ambitious project. I love that this family has decided to restore this old beauty. I live in an old Victorian myself -- 1892, so I know how restoration can be an ongoing and expensive undertaking. Still, I shall enjoy watching this take shape and plan to drive by frequently. Perhaps I will be lucky enough to ask a few questions.
Lath and plaster walls! I heard someone say once on one of those "This Old House" episodes that it was best to appreciate those walls for the craftmanship that went into them despite all their waviness. Best to pay homage to the achievements of past home builders. What a plucky lot to do what they did with a few hand tools and horses.
Thanks for this article and good luck to the Canadays. You drove me to inspect the spindles on my stairway and appreciate once again the craftsman who created them. Long live the old ladies of Emporia.
July 13, 2011 at 8:40 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
GreatDayInEmporia (anonymous) says...
What an undertaking! Good luck, Canady family. I look forward to driving by and seeing the fruits of your labor- that cool old barn has always intrigued me :)
Also, I agree with @create, we must pay homage to the builders of yesteryear, who created such awesome projects using HAND TOOLS (and heart)! Handcrafting spindles? Building stalls for 100 horses and planting 600 trees?? That must have taken soooo much work.
The mental image of this beautiful house with horses frolicking alongside the orchard makes me ponder what life was like in 19th century Kansas. Times were challenging and seemingly primitive, but I think the prevailing local spirit was one of ingenuity and optimism.
I love my hometown and it makes me proud to hear of difficult, yet rewarding projects like this. !Viva Emporia!
July 13, 2011 at 1:18 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )