110 S Chelsea St, Sistersville, WV 26175

This beautiful Italian Renaissance forty room mansion was designed and its construction personally managed by famed architect Edward Franzheim of Wheeling WV. It was built as a wedding present from Mr. E. A. Durham, president of Wiser Oil, to his wife, Ada, and incorporated several items that they had purchased on a recent trip to Italy. Its construction was begun in about 1921 and completed in 1925. The exterior walls are 14 inches thick made up of a laced 12 inch clay block wall with 1 inch of plaster on the interior and 1 inch of stucco adorned by decorative Indiana Limestone elements on the exterior. It was built using all the best labor and materials available at that time. It has 10 fireplaces, all of which have natural gas available to them. Two of the fireplaces are marble; one white Carrara and one black, both imported from Italy together with a large bank of leaded Venetian glass which is a backdrop for the landing of the grand staircase. There is also a fully functional three stop elevator built by Shepard Warner Elevator Company of Cincinnati, Ohio. Sistersville was a small river town incorporated in 1829 until the wealth of one of Americas first oil booms produced an expansion of great proportions. Prior to the early 1890s, only a few substantial buildings existed, but a boom in construction - from the jerry-built shack of the transient worker to the massive and pleasing lines of eclectic commercial and residence units in brick and frame - resulted from application of a new found well of material resources. Sistersville, it seemed, had been at the heart of Americas first oil boom. Oil was discovered nearby in 1891, and for the next decade, Sistersville was one of the nations biggest producers of crude oil. In fact, at the turn of the century, Sistersville is said to have had the highest per capita income in the nation. The Sistersville of today, with a population of about 1,300, only about 1/10th of its boom peak population, remains much the same as the little town which existed by 1910. Signs of wealth appeared in the turn of the century commercial and residential buildings. This home, the last to be built, is described by the WV State Antiquities Commission as - the most elaborate and eloquent of the homes constructed as a result of the rich oil strikes of the 1890s - and has been lovingly cared for by all of its owners, the sellers being only the 5th to own it. Residents enjoy complete city services, a fully staffed hospital, outstanding public schools, public parks, abundant recreational opportunities, a private country club and convenient shopping. Located midway between and approximately an hours drive from the business and commercial centers of Wheeling and Parkersburg, WV, Sistersville also offers easy access to many of the nations major metropolitan areas. Within an easy drive are: Pittsburgh, Columbus and Charleston, WV. Less than a single day's drive are: Washington D.C., Baltimore, Cincinnati, Philadelphia, Cleveland and New York City. Air service to all points is also available close by.