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THE BRIEF HISTORY OF EDNA'S LOVELOCK HOME Update - June 17, 2005 - by Linda Wada Research Copyright 2003 - 2013, Linda Wada Photos: Marzen Museum, Pershing County in Lovelock, Nevada Information from Linda Wada's Edna Purviance Research File Edna Home Page  Photos about Edna's HomeEdna's Lovelock Home History |
Silent Film Star Edna Purviance’s childhood Lovelock Home Information from Linda Wada's Edna Purviance Research File By Linda Wada APRIL 2005 The Lovelock Walking Tour Brochure is out! Called the Lovelock Historic Buildings Tour, this brochure covers buildings that still exist from Edna's days of living in Lovelock. October 21, 2004 - On Edna's birthday, The Purviance Family Home History was launched on ednapurviance.org. This is the first time the story about her home in Lovelock, Nevada has been known. This story was researched from newspaper articles, official courthouse records, historical photos and current photos of the lot and property. The Madison Gates Purviance Story is recommended reading to learn more. More stories on life in Lovelock and Edna coming... Update on Lovelock Walking Brochure: I have been heard anymore about the brochure since August. Note: I have been informed by Elaine Pommerening of Lovelock, Nevada the presses have been stopped to include the information I provided from my research file on Edna's Lovelock Home and location for an Official Lovelock Walking Tour Brochure being produced. More below. August 17, 2004: I am still waiting to hear more on the brochure, but have been informed there has been a delay in printing. Brief History on the Lovelock Home In 1997, I started to research Charlie Chaplin and his leading lady, Edna Purviance. My Edna research got in full swing in the fall of 2000, when I visited Paradise Valley, Nevada for the first time. Since than, I have done long months of research into the home of Edna Purviance's in Lovelock, Nevada, The actual location of Edna's Lovelock Nevada Home was not known, since the pieces were scattered in many different places. I spent many long months reading very faded microfilms and reading old county records and finally found the information that was needed to put the puzzle together in 2002. Edna's Lovelock home is GONE! Leveled in the 1940's! But a small part of her history does exist as you will find out in the History of Edna's Lovelock Home, coming to Edna's web site in 2004. Here is a sneak preview of the history with the first showing of Edna's Lovelock home and location photos as it looked in Edna's day and today. In November of 1898, when Edna Purviance was three years old, the Purviance Family moved from Paradise Valley, Nevada to Lovelock Nevada. Madison Gates and Louise Purviance, Edna’s parents, leased The Singer Hotel from George Singer, one of the original residents of Lovelock. Singer was a good friend of George Lovelock, the town founder. The hotel was originally built by George Singer and opened as The Adobe in about 1886, and served as a lodging house with a small café and saloon. It was first mentioned as The Singer Hotel in the early 1890’s, after Singer began leasing the property. The Purviances bought the property in 1900, after leasing for a full year. Madison made many improvements. About this same time a new building next door on lot 17 was built by William O’ Leary. It opened as a general store, but in later years played a role in the destiny of Edna’s Lovelock home. In December of 1902, Louise Purviance won a divorce decree from Madison Gates Purviance and became the sole owner of the Hotel. She would run the business as a lodging house, while still leasing the café and saloon located in the building. Louise, Edna and her sister Myrtle, continued to live in the hotel. Records reveal so far, that their home was on the first floor in the center of the building, and was made up about four small rooms. On October 7th, 1904, Louise Purviance remarried to Robert Nurnberger. Nurnberger was an established plumber in Lovelock and in November of 1904 built a plumbing shop on the back of lot 18, where the hotel was located. This business and grounds around it occupied 49 feet of the back of lot 18, and became a separate tax lot on the property. Nurnberger died in February of 1911. Louise and Edna continued to live at the hotel, where Louise started running the place more as a long-term boarding house, instead of a hotel. It was called Central House, or Central Lodging, a name that was attached to the hotel over the years. Edna left for a new life in San Francisco in 1913, and Louise lived in Lovelock until 1923, when she leased the hotel property to Eliza Evans in 1924. Evans officially brought the property in January of 1931. Evans ran it as a boarding house until ill health intervened in the mid-30’s. The property was abandoned for a few years, until the Evans family sold Edna’s property to George W. Lang in 1940. Lang, a well-known local plumber, remodeled the plumbing shop building that Edna’s step father Robert Nurnberger originally erected in 1904. Lang remodeled it into a shop room for his plumbing business. The height of the building was lowered, but measurements show the building still stands at its original location. And historic newspaper articles confirm the remodeling at that site. Lang then moved in a long wood building on the east side of the original Nurnberger building and turned it into a workshop. Today, an out-of-business plumbing shop still exists on the property. There is one other slant roof wood structure on the side of the plumbing shop which appears to have been on the property since a 1910 photo, but has been remodeled over the years. It could have been an outhouse at one time, before indoor plumbing was added to the hotel. Or possibly a tack room for horse gear. Lang, who purchased the hotel building along with the plumbing shop, didn’t need the hotel building, which had fallen into disrepair. The Takenaka family, who have owned The Up to Date Laundry on lot 17 since 1934, needed more space for their laundry business and a place for their delivery trucks. The Takenaka’s brought Edna’s old hotel building and in the late 1940’s tore down the structure. Nothing is left of the Edna's old hotel and family home. The only building left on the property is the remodeled plumbing shop that Nurnberger built in 1904. And maybe an old shed which has seen better days. New development: TO REPEAT! The Lovelock Historic Buildings Tour Brochure it out! Released in April 2005, with an article in the Lovelock Review-Miner. I was contacted by Elaine Pommerening and David Toll in December 2003 and soon found out about this project. Elaine Pommerening is in charge of the publication and has been very active over the years saving the history of Lovelock. She is a direct descendent of Lovelock founder George Lovelock. Elaine contacted me on information on the location of Edna's Lovelock Home, since this information has not been known. I finally found the exact location of Edna's Lovelock home and photos of the actual building in 2002. I spent many long months tracking down all the pieces which lead me to the information on the home and photos of the actual building. A History on Edna's Lovelock Home was released on Edna's site in 2004. Elaine has included my information on the location of Edna's home for the walking tour publication. It is people like Elaine every town needs to help save history. And she is very interested, as well as myself, in helping Edna Purviance have a real memorial in her hometown of Lovelock, Nevada. When in Lovelock, take a bit of time off the freeway and see some of the history being preserved in this town. In McDonald's restaurant take a look at the photos of Lovelock's past. Have a visit to the Train Depot and a visit to the United States' only round courthouse. Stop in at the Marzen Museum. Take the walking tour planned for the city. Before leaving, take a leisurely drive among the farms fields and see the land that attracted the pioneers to the area. Lovelock, like many towns in the west, has lost many of it historic treasures, but you may be pleasantly surprised to see what still remains in Edna's childhood hometown. June 17, 2005 - by Linda Wada Research Copyright 2003 - 2008, Linda Wada Photos: Marzen Museum, Pershing County in Lovelock, Nevada Information from Linda Wada's Edna Purviance Research File *I have information that places Robert Nurnberger death in February in 1911. Will be doing further research. First time telling of Edna Purviance's Lovelock Home!  Researched by Linda Wada, Edna Purviance Research File See the Lovelock Walking Tour Brochure!  Edna Home Page Photos about Edna's HomeNew - Edna's Lovelock Home History |
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