The Willis House (Big Elk Greek Revival)
The Willis House, built in 1851 by James Kilgore Willis, stands on the west side of Big Elk Creek near what was once the Andora and Cowantown Road. Many of the Willis men were carpenters and builders. James built barns and bridges, including the (now gone) covered bridges over the Big Elk Creek at Park’s Rolling Mill and upstream at Scott’s Mill.
The house was large – two and a half stories high and five bays wide. It was built of timber James felled and had sawn at Scott’s Mill and stone likewise quarried on the property. It was a simplified interpretation of the Greek Revival style. There were three-light transoms over the doors, cornices with box returns at the gables, and a wooden shake roof. You can see excellent examples of these details at Big Elk Chapel nearby on the corner of Gallaher and Big Elk Chapel Roads. (although the chapel has wood siding and the Willis House was stuccoed stone) All of the interior window wells were curved including the half-story windows. This was a distinctive style identical to those in a number of other stone houses and barns in the area.
James and Mary Willis raised ten children here and their home was known as one of friendship and industry. Although James was a quiet man, Mary was remembered for loving company. There were parties and gatherings and always some kind of activity. The Willis’ had a spring house, smokehouse, barn, garden and orchard. At the back of the house was a porch and attached summer kitchen. Imagine how lovely the summer afternoons must have been on that porch. James and Mary’s grandaughter, Minnie Willis Harrison told the story far better than I could:
The Old Home -
This house was somewhat of a social center. Our Grandmother, Mary Willis, liked company. Our grandfather James Willis, had died in 1884, of pneumonia, he was a quiet man of few words, read the papers, books, and made plans of his buildings. His friends called him Jimmy and it was said he could calculate in his mind faster than others could with a paper and pencil.
After his death, our Grandmother managed the farm, with hired help, successfully, while she lived nearly twenty years after his death. There were quilting parties, rag carpet sewing parties, apple-butter making parties, times of butchering, corn cutting, haying and always activity. She was a good cook and baker. Always a large blue ware crock of ginger cakes, and sugar cakes, (These were the days when plenty of butter was churned.)
In the fall, wood was cut and stacked for the winter. The threshers came, tilt top bench table on the back porch was set for dinner, a bountiful feast.
We have gone into the woods with Grandmother to mark the trees she wanted cut for firewood. She would tie a piece of white muslin around the tree to be cut. If not, she said, valuable trees would be sacrificed.
As long as she lived she had her horse and carriage and when dressed to go out, always wore black and a long crepe veil, mourning for our Grandfather. She was fearless, and I never knew a more capable woman. She was married at sixteen and had learned much by her years of experience. She knit stockings and also lace on needles, made many quilts, also molded candles.
There was a smoke house not far from the kitchen where meat and fish were smoked for the winter. On Sundays there were always guests for dinner, never knew how many to expect, extra places were set and often more added, but there was never any scarcity of food.
She made a good will, leaving the house and contents to her three single daughters for a home as long as needed, and afterward, the property to be sold and the money divided equally among the remaining children. She died Aug. 2nd, 1902.
The three single daughters lived there, Rebecca, dying in 1916. Sarah Emma and Clara remained until the death of Sarah Emma in 1935. After this there was a sale of household goods and Clara went to live with her youngest sister, Ida J. Weldin, at her home near Wilmington, Del.
The house was rented for some time and later sold to Ida J. Weldin. When she died in 1945, she left it to her son Willis Weldin who was too young to have any of the treasured memories that we older ones had of the “Old Home” and he sold it to William DuPont.
Minnie Willis Harrison
April 5, 1959
The house was large – two and a half stories high and five bays wide. It was built of timber James felled and had sawn at Scott’s Mill and stone likewise quarried on the property. It was a simplified interpretation of the Greek Revival style. There were three-light transoms over the doors, cornices with box returns at the gables, and a wooden shake roof. You can see excellent examples of these details at Big Elk Chapel nearby on the corner of Gallaher and Big Elk Chapel Roads. (although the chapel has wood siding and the Willis House was stuccoed stone) All of the interior window wells were curved including the half-story windows. This was a distinctive style identical to those in a number of other stone houses and barns in the area.
James and Mary Willis raised ten children here and their home was known as one of friendship and industry. Although James was a quiet man, Mary was remembered for loving company. There were parties and gatherings and always some kind of activity. The Willis’ had a spring house, smokehouse, barn, garden and orchard. At the back of the house was a porch and attached summer kitchen. Imagine how lovely the summer afternoons must have been on that porch. James and Mary’s grandaughter, Minnie Willis Harrison told the story far better than I could:
The Old Home -
This house was somewhat of a social center. Our Grandmother, Mary Willis, liked company. Our grandfather James Willis, had died in 1884, of pneumonia, he was a quiet man of few words, read the papers, books, and made plans of his buildings. His friends called him Jimmy and it was said he could calculate in his mind faster than others could with a paper and pencil.
After his death, our Grandmother managed the farm, with hired help, successfully, while she lived nearly twenty years after his death. There were quilting parties, rag carpet sewing parties, apple-butter making parties, times of butchering, corn cutting, haying and always activity. She was a good cook and baker. Always a large blue ware crock of ginger cakes, and sugar cakes, (These were the days when plenty of butter was churned.)
In the fall, wood was cut and stacked for the winter. The threshers came, tilt top bench table on the back porch was set for dinner, a bountiful feast.
We have gone into the woods with Grandmother to mark the trees she wanted cut for firewood. She would tie a piece of white muslin around the tree to be cut. If not, she said, valuable trees would be sacrificed.
As long as she lived she had her horse and carriage and when dressed to go out, always wore black and a long crepe veil, mourning for our Grandfather. She was fearless, and I never knew a more capable woman. She was married at sixteen and had learned much by her years of experience. She knit stockings and also lace on needles, made many quilts, also molded candles.
There was a smoke house not far from the kitchen where meat and fish were smoked for the winter. On Sundays there were always guests for dinner, never knew how many to expect, extra places were set and often more added, but there was never any scarcity of food.
She made a good will, leaving the house and contents to her three single daughters for a home as long as needed, and afterward, the property to be sold and the money divided equally among the remaining children. She died Aug. 2nd, 1902.
The three single daughters lived there, Rebecca, dying in 1916. Sarah Emma and Clara remained until the death of Sarah Emma in 1935. After this there was a sale of household goods and Clara went to live with her youngest sister, Ida J. Weldin, at her home near Wilmington, Del.
The house was rented for some time and later sold to Ida J. Weldin. When she died in 1945, she left it to her son Willis Weldin who was too young to have any of the treasured memories that we older ones had of the “Old Home” and he sold it to William DuPont.
Minnie Willis Harrison
April 5, 1959
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Thank you to Emily Kilby, Geraldine McKeown and Paula Newton for photos and documents.
Thank you to Emily Kilby, Geraldine McKeown and Paula Newton for photos and documents.