Published: April 05, 2008 08:33 pm            

Waverley event highlights historic homes

History will be on display April 13 during Waverley Historic District’s annual homes tour.

“For the past three years, neighbors in the Waverley Historic District have hosted an annual homes tour in an effort to share the rich history of the district and to tell the story of Enid’s historic homes and homeowners,” said Shirley Marquardt, Waverley tour coordinator. “These homeowners played an important role in the early development of Enid and the homes are an important part of Enid’s heritage.”

This year, four people are opening their homes 2-4 p.m. April 13 to raise money for sidewalk improvements in the district. Select rooms in each home will be on display for visitors. Each home will feature a floral arrangement provided by a local florist.

Tickets are $10 and can be purchased at any of the homes the day of the tour. Each attendee will receive a Waverley walking tour brochure and will be given a chance to win a door prize. Visitors are encouraged to take the time to read the historic roadside marker in the 1300 block of West Broadway, which tells the history of the district, Marquardt said.

“Waverley got its start on April 16, 1902, when Waverley Investment Company purchased the Luther Braden farm and platted the land between 1902 and 1907,” she said.

The district is located 11 blocks west of downtown Enid and is a 22-block area located between West Broadway and West Oklahoma and South Harrison and South Buchanan. The district, which includes 281 historic structures, was added to the National Register of Historic Places on Dec. 6, 2006.

“If you love Enid history and its historic homes, you’ll love this year’s tour,” Marquardt said.

Homes on tour are:



524 S. Hayes (Ehly Mansion)

Raymond and Diane Dyess



Floral arrangement provided by Huffman Floral. This Enid landmark is a three-story ,single-family dwelling in Enid’s Garland Addition.

“To the best of our knowledge, the 10,080-square-foot mansion has never been open for public viewing,” Marquardt said.

This home technically is located outside of Waverley; however, its historic homeowners have direct ties to Waverley. The historic homeowners, August M. “Gus” and Lucy Ehly, lived in Waverley’s Second Addition at 1414 W. Broadway prior to building their mansion on Hayes.

The mansion on Hayes was custom built by Enid homebuilder Roy Norris for Ehly. Ehly was manager of the first JCPenney store in Oklahoma, on Enid’s downtown Square. The 1929 home is Spanish-Colonial style and was modeled after a favorite villa of the Ehly family in Lisbon, Portugal. Every Wednesday night, the family held “Card Night” in the mansion. Wiley Post and Will Rogers often would fly into Enid to attend “Card Night” and would spend the night in the home. J.C. Penney also was a frequent visitor to the home and was involved in its interior decorations. When the Ehly family was looking for a smaller home in 1942, they exchanged homes with Joe and June Franks, of Franks Machine Co. The Dyess family purchased the home in 2003.

“The features of this home are truly magnificent. Superb design and detail can be seen in each room and reflect the work of master craftsman,” Marquardt said.

The home features a wood and wrought-iron tiered staircase with snakehead finale and tile floor in the foyer; plaster crown molding, French parquet wood floors and a circa 1900 Swarovski bowl crystal chandelier in the parlor; stained-glass arched windows, an American Indian fireplace and solid walnut flooring in the family room; carved mahogany wood wainscoting in the dining room, which displays the name of Ehly and Indian symbols in the dining room; and a 50-foot swimming pool in the basement. The first floor and the basement swimming pool will be open during the tour.





1102 W. Oklahoma

Linda Presa



Floral arrangement provided by Enid Floral. This two-story dwelling is Bungalow-Craftsman style. The home was built circa 1914. The historic homeowners were A. Roy and Carrie M. Hacker. Hacker was department manager of Enid Mill & Elevator Co. Hacker’s daughter, Melba Hacker DeFoe, and her husband, Dr. William DeFoe, inherited the home and lived there from 1973 to 2006.

Presa purchased the home at auction in 2006 and is in the process of totally renovating it. An original wood rocker, wedding dress and wedding picture from the Hacker family will be on display during the tour.





1223 W. Maine

Joe and Marit Watson



Floral arrangement provided by Uptown Florist. This two-story, single-family dwelling is Colonial-Revival style. The home was built circa 1909, and the historic homeowners were F. Everett and Pearl Purcell.

Purcell was publisher of the Enid Events newspaper. He was a charter member of Enid Lions Club and helped obtain the charter for Oklahoma Christian University, which became Phillips University. Pearl Purcell helped raise money for the World War I Doughboy statue located on Enid’s downtown Square.

The Watsons purchased the home in 2007 and have improved the downstairs areas and landscaped the front yard during the past year.





1518 W. Oklahoma

Melanie Sanderson Pace and Craig Chambers



This two-story, single family dwelling is Queen Anne-style and was built circa 1908. The historic homeowners were George D. and Sallie E. Hall. Hall was yard foreman for Long-Bell Lumber Co.

In 1917 the home sold to C.L. Sayles, of Sayles Brothers, who owned Master Tailoring Co. Pace purchased the home in 2003, and since that time has totally restored the inside. The home is beautifully decorated with antiques and fine furniture throughout. Most of the first floor and second floor bedrooms will be open during the tour.