History Renewed: A Love Story

This story was written for the potential new owners when my 1915 home was put on the market. It was not my family home, but I adored it and often wondered about the lives of the homeowners before me. A public records search, find-my-grave website, and a conversation with the neighbor helped me bring alive the story of the house I owned.

Welcome to our collective home and the story behind it.

It began on April 25, 1890 when Hezze Sidney Nunnally was born in Cass County, Missouri. Somehow in his journey of life, he came to Washington State, likely for work purposes as the timber industry was exploding in those days. Then, on November 12, 1895 Edna S. Melin was born right here in Tacoma, Washington. The two met and fell in love. Enjoying the play on numbers, they chose to be married on December 13, 1914 (12-13-14).

Every newlywed needs a place to live and raise children. The neighbor tells us that Mrs. Nunnally’s father had this house built on the edge of the family farm, as Oakland was once a farmland as far as the eyes can see. Large oak trees dotted the land too and can be seen at the community park. The adorable four room house was built in 1915 for the new couple. Somewhere in the 1940’s, Mr. and Mrs. Nunnally added on to the east end of the home to make a nice big kitchen. While you can still see where the old stove pipe went into the wall in the dining room, you can also see where the stove was moved into the new kitchen too. They may have added on to the cellar (aka basement) space in that time frame, and you can see the house divide in the attic above the kitchen, but they still had to go outside to access the cellar.

Time passed as the children grew up in this cozy home. Mrs. Nunnally was fond of baking and would often give out cookies to the neighbor children. Sadly, Mr. Nunnally passed away on June 10, 1953. He was 63 years old, and the family interned him in the Tacoma Cemetery. Mrs. Nunnally continued to live in this cute little house until she was 88 years old. She had no idea she would live that much longer than her husband, Hezze. On February 5, 1983 Edna sold this home to John R. and Gladys E., then she passed away on November 13, 1988, a day after her 93rd birthday. She lays in rest next to her husband Hezze.

John and Gladys did many upgrades to this cute little home including new windows, a new fireplace in the living room, and a remodel in the bathroom. Other people who owned the home also tried to love and care for it, but circumstances prevented them from living here longer. These owners included:

· Kristina (04-17-14 to 09-12-18)

· Bank of New York as Trustee (12-19-13 to 04-17-14)

· Angela and Jennifer (09-14-07 to 12-19-13)

· Angel and Lynn (04-09-03 to 09-14-07)

· Lynn and James (12-31-96 to 04-09-07)

In September of 2018, Shannon purchased this home as an empty nester. She saw through the dated windows, past the layers of putrid paint, and under the cold floors. She opened her heart and her wallet to bring this gem back to life. With a lot of elbow grease and some help from construction crews along the way, this neglected home built by Edna and Hezze Nunnally following their nuptials was restored with mild modernizations. This home is a continued living history over the last century. Will she grow as old as those homes in Europe?

**P.S. When Shannon’s electrician was in the attic in 2019, he removed a board that was nailed to a hole up there. This board had come off a case of liquor and was stamped by the Washington State Liquor Control Board. Another piece of history? How did it come to be in the attic? You can interpret that story any way you like.