Page 9 - Focus Regional: History & Mystery

An Exterior shot of the Clary
Sage Bed and Breakfast
showcases the wrap around
porch and curvilinear gable.

If These Walls Could Talk

like during their time as a resident at 312 N. Lea Ave. stands out, the daughter-in-law of former owner, Keith. “It was
really cool because she had been in the home while she was dating
Original owner Elza White had the home built in 1914 after him [Keith’s son], so she filled us in on some of the changes that
his work for Texas Pacific brought him from the Sacramento he[Keith] made that we had been guessing on,” explained Wiles.
Mountain area to Roswell. White and his wife, Maude, decided to Keith’s daughter-in-law pointed out that the remodeled and
stay in Roswell and reared their two children, Mary and Elza Jr., expanded galley kitchen used to end at what is now the center
in the home until 1936. White made a name for himself when he island. The open space on the other side was a closed in porch
drilled the first Artesian well in the Pecos Valley. He also managed with a table where the help would eat. She recalled a hired woman
the Grand Central and Selby Hotels in town and expanded his who lived in the back house whose job was to help with the kids,
ventures into ranching. His daughter, Mary, who served as the cook and take care of other household chores. Since the home
postmistress in Roswell, was also an integral part in starting the was built in the time-period when larger estates often had help in
first local chapter of the Girl Scouts. Her dedication to the Girl the kitchen, it features a swinging door into the dining room for
Scouts inspired White and Maude to donate land they owned in meal service which works perfectly more than 100 years later for
Mayhill to the organization in 1927, creating the first Girl Scout Zumwalt to serve her homemade breakfasts to their guests, which
camp in New Mexico, Camp Mary White. Wiles dotes, “it is all delicious. She is an amazing cook!”
Long after the White children were grown and off on their own, Keith’s daughter-in-law answered more questions Zumwalt and
the home was sold to Langford Keith, a building contractor Wiles had about when improvements were done in the home and
and the owner of Roswell Homes, Inc., who lived there with his filled in some of the gaps in the timeline of the house. She was
family for the next forty years. While I was touring the Clary even able to solve the mystery as to why they found targets and
Sage, Zumwalt and Wiles pointed out numerous times how well shells in the attic, explaining that Keith and his son enjoyed guns
taken care of it was by the former residents, especially having been and would hold target practice in the attic. When Zumwalt and
occupied by a professional home builder for so long.
PHOTO THIS PAGE - BELOW: R. S. Hamilton Artesian Well drilled by Elza White on
Main Street in 1889. Courtesy of the HSSENM
Zumwalt and Wiles entertain lots of guests, but one in particular

2017 | FOCUS ON HISTORY & MYSTERY 9