This home was built in 1905 by John E. DuMars, an attorney who remained only until 1909, when he sold it for $9500 to Oscar D. and Katherine Provost Halsell. Oscar was born February 14, 1859, in Clarksville, Texas. Katherine was born in 1872. Oscar moved to Oklahoma City after 1889 and was one of the founders of Oklahoma’s first wholesale grocery, the highly successful Williamson-Halsell-Frazier Company. Oscar was president and general manager from 1889 to 1922. The Halsells had three sons, Harry, Harold, and Louis.

In 1913 the Halsells started an extensive remodeling of the home. They removed the original pine floors in the dining room, living room, and den, and replaced it with oak. They also added six feet of living space to the west side of the dining room and twelve feet to the south side of the den. They sold the house in 1919. Five years later it was sold again to James Bruce and Eugenia Moore McClelland. Bruce was born in Texas in 1889 and was a popular attorney. Eugenia was born in 1890. They had two sons, Bruce and Walter.

After being occupied for more than 30 years by one family, the home sat vacant for long periods, then was sold and resold several times in the 1960s. By 1970 the home was considered a haunted house to neighborhood kids.

In the fall of 1970, it was rescued by Hal and Jean (McCarty) Priddy. Hal was born September 12, 1913, in Uvaldi, Texas and was raised in Ardmore. Jean was born July 16, 1917, in Marietta, Oklahoma. Hal and Jean married in 1936. They had two children, Ann and Hal. They moved to Oklahoma City in 1970 to co-own and operate Taylor’s Newsstand and Bookstore, which Hal’s brother had owned for 20 years. The Priddys initiated a complete renovation of their home. They hauled away rubble, replaced ceilings and walls, and moved room to room restoring original features. Jean died July 1, 1994, and Hal died January 15, 2003.

Years later Jennifer & Patrick Gaines purchased the home where they enjoyed raising their twins, daughter, Cooper & son, Patrick.  

In recent years, owners have restored the covered front porch as it had originally been built.

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