The pump in the Denny House side yard is still there – a celebrated throwback, not only to another age but to how Eleazer Luse Denny (1856-1910) made his fortune in the transformative days of the 19th century. Times were a-changing and Denny was bringing that change to Greene County, one wily investment at a time.
It takes a moment to imagine life back then, before Waynesburg had the infrastructure for water or sewage in a town that would be growing by leaps and bounds after the Civil War as coal and gas extraction brought wealth and expansion to these frontier streets. A town well was in front of the courthouse and many first generation houses still had wells in the yard, open to the elements, operated with pulleys, ropes and buckets.
E. L. Denny to the rescue.
Another historical tidbit captured in family lore and probably on record in some dusty file at Waynesburg University, is that young Eleazer went to Waynesburg College but not for long. He was summarily dismissed for leading a cow to the top floor of Hannah Hall and as any farmer knows a cow will follow you anywhere except downstairs. It’s also documented somewhere that he then enrolled in a business school in Pittsburgh and learned his chops.
A better documented fact is that he had his knee destroyed by an angry pig at age 13 and had to have reconstructive surgery that he chose to have done. His leg was permanently bowed, giving him a limp but leaving him better able to ride a horse when he sold his new products to farmers across the county.
By the time 21-year-old E.L. Denny opened a hardware store on High Street in 1887, his business smarts were already well honed. Family lore tells us he got his start when he talked to the builder of wildcatter C. H. Bowlby’s fancy new home on Richhill Street. The builder was complaining he couldn’t find enough nails to finish the job. Denny promptly borrowed enough money from his mother to purchase a train car load of nails, which he then sold to every builder in town. Another smart move – cornering the market on hand pumps that safely closed those open wells and made life that much easier- and healthier. He then proceeded to sell this newfangled improvement to everyone, including farmers. Wily businessman that he was, as he rode door to door in the western reaches of the county selling those pumps he got to know the farmers who would be selling extraction leases when the gas and oil market really opened up.
By 1902 the Denny fortune was made and workmen – with no shortage of nails or water to wash up with in the back yard! – were busy adding the three story facade with its Flemish design to the now finely appointed Denny family home on High Street. Its parapets were studded with terra cotta, the vestibule was tiled in mosaics. No expense was spared –stairways, balusters and wainscoting were quarter-sawn tiger oak, parlor walls were wrapped in hand painted canvas and motifs decorated the ceilings.
Lucky for us, all this post-Victorian finery and elaborate good taste has been well preserved by present owners Pam and Kent Marisa. The Denny House feels like the family who loved the arts still lives there. That’s Minerva, goddess of music watching over things from her stained glass window as you go upstairs. The house is now a place to experience “old world elegance without a passport.” For sleepovers there are four period piece bedrooms and a full kitchen. There are also porches to enjoy the view of nearby Waynesburg University or step off of to stroll the grounds and say hello to Eleazer’s pump. The rustic but chic carriage house can entertain 100 and is equipped with tables, chairs and all the dinnerware and buffet fixings needed is there for a reception to remember under antique chandeliers.
Just in time for lovers, the Denny House is having a Valentine Day Dinner for couples on February 11 and February 12 that offers the choice of two entrees, chocolate strawberries for dessert and live piano music. Seating is limited.
“We have a lot of plans for Denny House, including a wine bar, guest chefs, Sunday brunches and galas and we’re currently booking for any events, including wedding showers rehearsal dinners, birthday parties or anything special you want to celebrate, ” Pam Marisa said. “Give us a call – 724-998-0243.”
One last bit of history to explore: There was a longtime grape arbor in the Denny yard keeping company with the pump. Glenn Toothman, a neighbor and friend of the Denny family since childhood remembers something about the wine produced from those grapes winning a prize sometime in the 1980s when Miss Josephine Denny, then in her 90s was in charge of her father’s estate and recruiting local talent to help with the upkeep of what would someday become Denny House.
Who was the wine maker? Glenn remembers his name was George Yurt and that he was a pilot but from there the trail grows cold. If anyone still remembers the prize that the Denny house grapes took, let Pam know. The old arbor is gone but new grapes have been planted. Who knows? Maybe someday there will be a The Denny House wine to be had at the wine bar when you stop by.
