By Jayne Boykin
DUNCAN — The month of June brings many occasions for celebrations, with one of the biggest events in Duncan the annual Founder’s Day observance and the home tour that Stephens County Historical Society and Museum sponsors each year to go along with it.
This year’s tour will be from 1 to 4 p.m. Saturday.
There are two homes on this year’s tour — those of Cecil and Debby Brewer at 1211N. 10th (the Lindley House), and John and Judy Lewis, 1126 Grand.
Construction projects and date conflicts deterred other residents who would have opened their homes for visitors, but the ticket prices for this year’s tour have been reduced accordingly, so it’s still a good show for people who pass the houses on a daily basis and are curious about what’s inside the beautiful homes.
Pee Wee Cary, museum director, said that Founder’s Day celebrates the day the first passenger train stopped in Duncan on June 27, 1892. Proceeds from the yearly home tour go to help with the operation of the museum in Fuqua Park.
The Lindley House is an example of the English country style and was originally built in 1939 on 1.8 acres at the edge of town. When Bonnie and Danny Talley purchased the Lindley House in 1996 from Dr. E.C. Lindley and his wife, Helen, they remodeled it into a bed and breakfast.
Dr. Lindley had built a hospital next door in 1938. Lindley also had livestock, with the pony stable still standing. The land between 10th and 11th streets was called the Lindley Addition.
The house still has an original chandelier, and European tiles with rounded corners line the flue. The main house has one suite downstairs, and the second floor has a suite and two bedrooms. The Lindleys added the great room in the back in 1958. Three cottages in the gardens were built by the Talleys as part of their remodeling project. There is a total of six fireplaces and eight baths.
Jill and Jay Gregston also owned the house at one time.
The house’s lush gardens are popular for weddings and other occasions, and often serve as a backdrop for bridal, family and prom photos.
Cecil and Debby Brewer bought the house in November 2007 and continue to operate it as a bed and breakfast.
A virtual tour of the rooms is available online at www.lindleyhouse.com.
The Lewis home was built in 1940 for Marcella and Clint Roberts. Roberts was treasurer of Halliburton Oil Well Cementing Company (HOWCC) at the time.
The lumber came from Kindrick and King Lumber Co. Fred King said, “The house had three layers of wood, enough wood to build every house in the block.”
Roberts and John Halliburton, then president of HOWCC, planted and grafted the forked pecan tree that still stands in the back yard.
The Robertses lived in the home for about 15 years. It was sold to Thelma and Joe Jackson, co-owners of Hedges & Jackson Grocery.
About 15 years later, they sold the house in 1969 to Bama and Don Adkins, who made it their home for 25 years.
During their tenure in the home, the Adkinses turned the attached garage into a family room and added a carport, a workshop on the east side of the carport, and a porch across the east side of the house.
When Judy and John Lewis bought the home in 1996, they had it gutted so new wiring, plumbing, heating and air conditioning could be installed. They have made an effort to furnish the house in the style of 1940, though a treasured 1927 Magic Chef range graces the kitchen.
By moving walls, the Lewises were able to create four bathrooms from the original two.
The porch on the east of the house is now a family room, and the former family room is now a game room.
On the day of the tour, protective footwear will be available in case of bad weather and to protect carpets that should not be walked on in the houses.
One ticket entitles a purchaser to tour both homes. Tickets are available at Antique Marketplace, Antique Mall, R&S; Drugs Nos. 1 and 3, the museum and at the door of each house the day of the tour.
