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Researched and written by Ruth Ann Montgomery
The legal description of a piece of property outlines the history of property. The record includes the names of owners, mortgage holders, heirs and the sale price.
These transactions are a valuable resource for detailing changes to the land and buildings. When the price of a residential lot jumps dramatically, it is a good sign that there has been a house constructed on the site.
Evansville was platted as a village in 1855 and the first owner of the lots that are now 127 West Church Street was Lewis Spencer. He sold the lots in 1856 to Hiram Griffith. Griffith kept the lots for four years and in 1860 sold them to Susan Smith for $75. Two more land owners, Elizabeth Phillips and Joseph R. Finch purchased the land for small amounts of money. The tax assessment rolls for 1867 showed the property valued at $75, and when compared to property that had buildings, this is too small an amount to be anything but vacant land.
Finch paid Phillips $150 in January 1868 and when he sold the land to Alonzo Richardson in April 1869, the value had increased to $2,000. Although there are no other written records to record the construction of the house, the jump in price places the building date as 1868-69.
Finch and his sons purchased a hardware business in 1867 and sold it in July 1868. For a brief period, Finch left Evansville, and when he returned in 1874, he opened a boot and shoe business. Finch also owned property on East Main Street that had at one time belonged to the Methodist Church. The old church property was sold to Almeron Eager in 1878.
A grocery store owner, Alonzo Richardson purchased the property at 127 West Church Street from Finch. Little is known about Richardson, except his business affiliation and that his name appears on the subscription list for the building fund for the Baptist Church in 1866.
Richardson kept the house for 9 years and in January 1878 he sold the house to Harvey Prentice for $2,000, the exact amount he had paid Finch for the property. Prentice, who already owned a substantial house on West Main Street, probably purchased the house for an investment and six months later found a willing buyer in John C. Sharp, the cashier of the Bank of Evansville.
In July 1878, Sharp had the house "completely renewed" according to the Evansville Review. He had the "L" part of the house raised another story, so that it was the same height as the main part of the house. He modernized the interior, connecting all of the rooms with large arched folding doors. He replaced the windows with larger ones with two panes of glass and reconstructed the porch. A local newspaper reporter claimed it was one of the largest and most commodious houses in the village. Mr. William Morgan, a popular local builder, was credited with the remodeling.
In addition to his work at the bank, Sharp was a speculator and a salesman. In 1876, was an employee of bank owner, L. T. Pullen, a more conservative businessman. Sharp and Pullen purchased the patent for a machine that pulled tree stumps out of fields. The contraption was known as a "grubber". Local windmill manufacturer, Baker Manufacturing Company, made the grubbers. Pullen soon pulled out of the business, leaving Sharp and his new partner, McKinney to operate the company.
For a few years McKinney and Sharp were successful and in 1878, the same year Sharp purchased the house from Prentice, McKinney and Sharp wanted to organize a sewing machine company in Evansville. They advertised in the local newspaper, the Evansville Review, for others who wanted to invest in their dream. They promised that the company would bring 200 families to Evansville and that two local manufacturers could benefit from the new enterprise. The woodworking could be done at the local furniture factory operated by the Lehman family and the iron work could be done at the Baker Manufacturing Company.
However, their dream was never realized. By December 1878, Sharp was in over his head. Both the grubber business and the sewing machine business had failed. He lost his job at the bank and he signed over the property at 227 West Church to the Bank of Evansville to cover his debts.
The following April, Daniel Rowley, a partner in the Bank of Evansville, purchased the house from the bank for $2,500. Rowley was born in Erie County, New York, in 1825. At the age of 23, he moved to Wisconsin with his new bride, Calista and started farming in Union township. In 1849, a year after he arrived, he made his first purchased of land, an eighty acre farm in Union township.
In 1854, Rowley purchased a farm on Jug Prairie, west of Evansville. Rowley moved into the village of Evansville in 1868 and opened a boot and shoe business. He and Calista were charter members of the Evansville Baptist Church and they remained active members throughout their life. With Alonzo Richardson, a previous owner of the house, Rowley's name appears on the 1866 subscription list for the building of the church. Whenever the Church found itself without a pastor, Deacon Rowley was asked to serve and those who heard his services said he read with great eloquence and feeling from a book called Spurgeon's Sermons.
In 1877, Daniel Rowley became a partner in the Bank of Evansville, with L. T. Pullen and John Sharp. It was through this connection that he obtained the house at 127 West Church Street. For nearly 100 years, the house remained in the hands of Rowley and his decendents.
Three years after Rowley purchased the property, he sold it to Alonzo Coburn Gray. Gray had married Daniel's only child, Emma Rowley on May 18, 1879. It was Gray's second marriage, as his first wife had died. Gray was a successful businessman. Although he had started as a clerk in a general store, Alonzo Gray eventually went on to own and operate several successful businesses and purchased many pieces of property in Evansville.
Gray opened a shoe & boot business in Evansville in 1879 and in 1884 sold that business to C. A. Pratt. He then began a long-term business relationship with M. V. Pratt, in a general store. They sold dry goods, groceries, clothing, crockery, stationery, as well as boots and shoes. As with many other small businesses in Evansville, Gray & Pratt used bartering to buy and sell goods. They advertised that they would accept butter and eggs as cash at the store.
The two men were innovative in merchandising their goods and started a wagon route selling goods farm to farm in the countryside. The mobile store carried groceries and other items. Gray and Pratt did not want to discourage farmers who lived within easy driving distance of town from coming into the village. These farm families also shopped at other local businesses and brought prosperity to the town. If they shopped only from the Gray and Pratt wagon, this might deter shopping at other local businesses. Therefore, the driver was encouraged to drive six to ten miles from Evansville before stopping to sell the goods from the store.
Gray and his father-in-law, Daniel Rowley, worked together on many enterprises. In 1884, Daniel and Alonzo purchased the Evansville flour mill and Gray agreed to run the business. It was probably a temporary measure to save an investment until Daniel could find a buyer for the mill because neither Alonzo or Daniel were experienced millers. By June of the following year, a Slightham family purchased the mill from Rowley and Gray.
When the Evansville Manufacturing Company was formed, Gray invested in the company and was elected president of the firm. The company made tacks, nails and matches. Gray also invested in land in Evansville, the Dakotas, and Chicago and also purchased shares in a mining company.
Gray and Rowley maintained their investment in the Bank of Evansville. Gray became a vice-president of the bank and also held a number of public offices. The variety of offices that he was elected or appointed to show not only Alonzo's willingness to serve, but the respect that his fellow citizens had for his abilities as a public servant.
More than 70 people signed a petition to have Gray appointed postmaster of the city of Evansville. His friend and business partner, M. V. Pratt was the first to sign. Twenty four of the signatures were from veterans.
In the 1889 when the Rock County Board of Pension Commissioners was formed, Alonzo was nominated for a position on the board. To serve on the board, the commissioner had to be an honorably discharged Union soldier. The Pension Commission distributed funds to the widows and dependent children of Civil War veterans.
When Daniel Rowley died in 1889, the Grays began making plans to enlarge their home to make room for Calista, his widow. Emma and Alonzo had a 14 by 20 foot, two-story addition built on the west end of their house. for an apartment for Mrs. Rowley. They also had a cellar dug under the existing "L" of the home to use for a wood or coal room. The house became a two-family dwelling. Calista lived in the house until her death, May 12, 1902.
Alonzo continued to seek public office and he was always a strong voice for growth and development in the community. Many improvements were made to the infrastructure of Evansville due to his influence. In 1896, the Evansville Telephone Exchange, was incorporated. Gray invested $1,000. The company was granted a franchise to erect poles and wires and opened a telephone office in the Bank of Evansville. Gray was elected Vice President of the company.
A. C. Gray also headed the committee to establish the water works system in Evansville in 1901. As Second Ward Alderman and member of the finance committee for the City, the other Councilmen relied on his expertise in banking and real estate. Gray also served on the Evansville School board and as treasurer of the Evansville Republican League Club.
A 1901 biography described Gray as an active member in many community organizations, "he is a member of Union Lodge, No. 32, A.F. & A.M.; Evansville Chapter, No.35, R.A.M.; and Janesville Commandery, No. 2, K.T. He is also an active worker in T. L. Sutphen Post, No. 41, G.A.R., and the Modern Woodmen of America. Mr. Gray is a Republican and has received various honors at the hands of his fellow townsmen. He is alderman from the Second ward, and has filled that position several terms; was a member of the old village board of trustees; was city assessor one year; was president of the school board six years; and has always taken a deep interest in the local schools." (Commemorative Biographical Record of the Counties of Rock, Green, Grant, Iowa and Lafayette Wisconsin" (c) 1901, pp. 21-23.) http://freepages.history.rootsweb.com/~wirockbios/Bios/bios1597.html
Like his father-in-law, Alonzo was a great supporter of the Baptist Church. Fourth of July ice cream socials were held on the lawn of his home and in 1903, he was a featured speaker at the church's annual supper. He urged his fellow Baptists to support the rebuilding of the church at the southwest corner of Church and First Streets. This was accomplished in 1904.
The Gray's had four children. Ellis was born in 1881 and died just two years later. Two sons, Orin Carlyle and Paul Rowley, were born and a daughter survived. Isabel Bernice was born, married and died in the house at 127 West Church Street. From her birth in 1887 to her death in 1976, there was only a brief period in Bernice's life when she did not live in the house.
As adults, Orin and Paul moved to California. After graduating from high school Bernice became a librarian. She studied at Denison University in Ohio and the University of Wisconsin. She worked in libraries in Mosinee, Platteville, Salem, Oregon, Pomona, California and then returned to Evansville where she also served as librarian in the public library.
In June 1914, Bernice married John Waddell in a beautiful ceremony in her parent's home. The rooms were decorated with pink and white roses and an arch covered with roses was placed in the east bay window of the parlor. The wedding vows were recited beneath the arch. Bernice wore a white crepe du chien gown and carried a bouquet of white roses. Her friends, Mae Heron, Jennie Crow and Amy Perry served a bridal supper to the guests in the Gray home.
Alonzo Gray died in August 1915 and as testament to his service to the people of Evansville, the Evansville Review ran a two-column obituary, extoling the virtues of the man who had served in so many offices and businesses. "Mr. Gray has always been a loyal supporter of the city and vicinity", the editor commented.
Emma kept careful records of the cost of the funeral which was held in the home. W. F. Biglow the undertaker received $85 for his services and two carriages were hired from the A. W. Leffingwell livery stable at a cost of $9. The cemetery sexton was given five dollars to dig the grave. The Royal Arch Masons escorted the body from the home to the grave site. Emma Gray continued to live in the family home.
Over the next several years, the husband of Bernice, John Waddell endeared himself to the people of Evansville. John, a native of Sextonville, in Richland County, was born in 1882.
Waddell had attended the Whitewater Normal School and the University of Wisconsin. He was hired as a science teacher in the Evansville schools in1908 and within three years became the principal of the high school. When he and Bernice were married in 1914, he was known to all as Professor Waddell.
In 1921, John Waddell led the community in a successful drive for new grade school and gymnasium. This project had been under consideration by the community for a decade.
In the mid-1920s he served as superintendent in Antigo and South Milwaukee. In 1925, the Waddell family moved into the Gray house with Emma. John was hired as assistant state superintendent of public instruction. He commuted to work from his home in Evansville.
During his time in this office, there were many challenges to the state normal schools that trained rural school teachers. Because of his strong belief that these were good schools that prepared educators for teaching, Waddell championed the schools as a necessary part of the maintaining of Wisconsin schools. He fought for and succeeded in keeping the county normal schools. The superintendents of these schools were so grateful that they awarded John a gold wrist watch at one of their annual banquets.
For many years before his retirement, Waddell also held the position of state high school supervisor and wrote elementary school social studies text books, with Amy Perry, an Evansville native, teacher and friend of the family.
John and Bernice Waddell had two children, Nancy and John Gray Waddell. After graduating from high school, John G. attended the University of Wisconsin to become a physician. In the summer of 1938, John G. went to work in a hospital in Fort Totten, North Dakota and then returned to his home in Evansville for a brief visit. He then went to Cincinnati to attend medical school. After graduating from the University of Cincinnati Medical School in 1941, he moved to Madison, where he worked as a physician, associated with St. Mary's Hospital and later with Central Wisconsin Center for the developmentally disabled. He married Ruth Nee and they had six children.
Bernice Waddell continued to live in the house at 127 West Church until her death in September 1976. Like her grandparents and parents, Bernice had been an active member of the First Baptist Church. A memorial fund for the church was established in her name.
Bernice Gray Waddell was the last descent of Daniel and Calista Rowley to live in the house. Her estate was settled in November 1976 and the home, known locally as the Waddell house, was sold to Arnold and Beth Willis.
The Willis' remodeled the house and created three apartments. One of the apartments, the home of Mrs. Klosterman, was opened to the public for the 1977 Evansville Historic House Tour.
The remodeling and redecorating were featured in the tour.. The Willis' had removed ceiling tile in the rooms, revealing a frescoed ceiling in the bay window on the east side of the home. The house also featured a built-in icebox in the dining room. A drain pipe, allowed the melted ice to drain into the basement.
In November 1979, the Evansville Historic Preservation Commission commended the Willis' for their restoration of the house and a covenant was made between the Commission and the Willis' to protect the house and preserve it according to Historic Preservation guidelines.
The house is painted in hues of tan and brown to highlight the Italianate style details of the house. The bracketed eaves and keystone designs in the arch above the windows, a shown in detail because of the contrasting colors used. Today, twenty years after they purchased the home, Beth and Arnold Willis continue to be maintain and repair the house with sensitivity to its historic significance in the community.
(Thanks to Tom Waddell for providing information about the Rowley-Gray-Waddell families.)