HOMES OF OLNEY

HOMES OF OLNEY

The Cooper-Pearcy House

Address: 410 West Elm St., Olney, TX

Original Owners: A.A. and Sarah Cooper

This house was built for A.A. and Sarah Cooper by C.H. Mothes on the lot he purchased from W.J. Logan in 1920 and we assume that the house was built that year. Mr. Cooper was in the real estate business and insurance. The Coopers had a son and a daughter who was said to use the large living room to practice ballet. Mr. Cooper served as postmaster of Olney at one time back in the day when it was an appointment straight from Washington D.C. with your political association being a determining factor. With bad times in the depression, Mr. Cooper built a cottage style house in the 400th block of West Oak (Gerald and Ann Cumpton lived here after Mrs. Cooper’s passing and today it is Faye (Blankenship) Stewart (Harold Stewart’s widow). (Mr. Cooper continued his real estate and insurance business into the 1950s with his son William A. Cooper and they built the modern building on North Avenue C that has recently become Jim Myer’s business office). Olney’s larger lake just off FM 2178 is named for Mr. Cooper (Lake Cooper). With the completion of the cottage, the Cooper’s moved across the alley so they could sell the big house.

Sometime in the early 1930s, M.P. McCracken of Graham saw an opportunity to invest in the funeral business in Olney so he struck a deal and bought the house for a funeral home. His son, Leon and his wife moved to the house with the son doing the day-to-day operation and his wife Ardis becoming an elementary teacher OISD. Previously and fortuitously Mr. McCracken’s daughter had married Roy Roach (son of Cherry Roach and Roy’s sister who was the wife of Morriss Hannis) that gave him an insight to the Olney community. Two young Olney boys who were enthralled with driving a siren blowing vehicle at fast speeds who lived adjacent to the funeral home were John Woods and George Hall Roach, Jr.. In those days funeral homes did what EMS does today and the drivers were on 24/7 call. In the mid-40s Mr. McCracken died and his widow deeded the business to Leon McCracken.

In 1949, W.D. Kerbow purchased the business. The Kerbows had a daughter who married the son of Rev. W.H. Towndsen, pastor of First Baptist Church, in early 1940s at the beginning of World War II and a son Jack who was a 1944 graduate of OHS and worked in the funeral business with his father. (My last word on what happened to Jack is from Leon Groves of Archer City who was at their fiftieth-class reunion and Jack was the owner of the funeral home in Sonora, county seat of Sutton County.)

In 1951, J.F. (Tad) Carter purchased the house and in the deed insisted that the carpeting be left in good condition. Tad and Odell and her two children, Dorothy and Robert Grimshaw, arrived in Olney in 1941 when Tad purchased Morgan Chevrolet from C.V. Morgan. The children became instantly popular in the social network of the late teens and early 20s. The Carters added the garage on the west side of the house and the two-story addition on the earst and columned entry porch on the south. In 1963 Tad passed away and Odell married Mr. Mason of Mason-Daugherty Insurance in Wichita Falls.

Also in 1963, Mrs. Mason sold the house to the Paul Lisles who had three children – Mike who married Karen Kelley – Pat who married Peggy Mahan – Paula who married Lee Shawver of Megargel where they still live in the Hargraves place just off Highway 114. One of the notable events in this ownership was a fire which did some damage to the interior that was quickly repaired. Both Paul Lisle and his brother Bill Lisle were successful independent oil operators.

In 1970, A.R. and Donna Pearcy became the owners after having lived in the R. Campbell House. A.R. and Donna were high school sweethearts in Stephenville where Donna’s father, Mr. D’Arcy owned the drug store on the square. A.R. was in the class of 1953 at Texas A&M College and got his commission in the Air Force and became a pilot. The Pearcys had three sones – Dan, David, and Wayne to whom the house has been passed on after the parents passing in recent years. A.R. was in oil production with various partners in the local area.

If you have any relevant information you would like to add or subtract from this article, please contact Clifton Key at 940-564-2979.