The 1916 Construction of the Edward M. and Della C. Wilhoit House

Edward Wilhoit was nicknamed the “Oil King of the Ozarks”

The home of Edward M. and Della C. Wilhoit located at 903 S. Weller Avenue, Springfield, Missouri was constructed in 1916. On December 23, 2014, the home was listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

The house

This two-and-a-half-story house sits on a site that was platted by the Pickwick Land Company in 1890. The architect was George F. Reed. The architectural design is Georgian Revival. The foundation is limestone and the walls are brick. The home was part of what was called the Pickwick Place Addition. The house has a one-story sun porch and a full basement. It also has a wood open staircase and balustrade. A balustrade is a row of small columns that are topped by a rail.

Open staircases, also known as ramp staircases, are pre-fabricated stairs, very often manufactured upon the needs of the customer. The main characteristic of an open staircase is the self-supporting structure that unlike in other types of stairs is totally visible, positioned below the staircase itself or along the steps sides. (Source.)

At the time the house was nominated to be listed on the National Register, the original wrought-iron fence, square limestone columns, and wrought-iron railings were in place surrounding the lot.

The Wilhoits

Edward married Delia Crigler in their hometown which was close to Covington, Kentucky in 1887. They moved to Joplin where Edward founded the E.M. Wilhoit Oil Company. Then, they moved to Springfield residing on St. Louis Street in a middle to upper-class neighborhood. Once his company expanded into eastern Kansas, they relocated to Kansas City.

The Wilhoits had twin daughters. Their daughter, Edna, attended Drury College and the University of Missouri. She lived with her parents at the house on Weller Avenue most of her life and never married. Daughter Edwina married the general manager of E.M. Wilhoit Oil Company, Walter J. Cossey.

Edward M. Wilhoit was the founder and president of the E.M. Wilhoit Oil Company. For a short period, the Wilhoits lived in Kansas City but returned to Springfield in 1915. Mr. Wilhoit was a successful business entrepreneur in the 1900s. He founded the oil company in 1896 and it became a large oil operation in the Ozarks. The company owned service stations, distributing plants in Missouri and eastern Kansas, and a large oil refinery in Joplin, Missouri. Mr. Wilhoit was nicknamed “Oil King of the Ozarks.”

Mr. Wilhoit also built the E.M. Wilhoit Building in 1926 which is another building listed on the National Register of Historic Places (2005). This is a historic commercial building (pictured below) also in Springfield.

The service stations and bulk distributorship were sold to Phillips Petroleum Company out of Bartlesville, Oklahoma. Mr. Wilhoit held onto the E.M. Wilhoit Building on East Pershing Street in Springfield and the oil company refinery in Joplin. He also owned Whitefaced Herefords on his 125-acre farm he called Willomere. The E.M. Wilhoit Building is named the Wilhoit Plaza now and appears to be used for commercial purposes.

Mr. Wilhoit was a director of the Springfield Chamber of Commerce and pursued promoting the development of the Medical Arts Building located on South Avenue.

On September 30, 1929, Mr. Wilhoit died of an unanticipated heart condition at home. He was only 65. He had bequeathed his entire estate to his wife, Della. After Mr. Wilhoit’s death, his wife and daughter, Edna, lived in the house for the next 29 years. When Della died on September 4, 1958, the estate was to be divided between the daughters. Della was 97 when she passed away.

After Della’s death, Edna lived in the home for two years and sold it in 1960 to a respected real estate developer in Springfield, C. Arch Bay. His family was in the home for over 40 years. Some alterations were made such as enclosing the sun porch.

Mr. Wilhoit’s cattle farm known as Willowmere was sold to John Q. Hammons, a notable successful developer in Springfield.

A lot of the time, the people and families who lived in the historic homes are just as interesting as the homes.

Thanks for reading.

2022 © Cathy Coombs

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