This book is an architectural and social history of a unique 19th century mansion. It tells the story of Estemere's owners and families and the various ways the house has been utilized from the time it was built. It has been the vacation home of a millionaire mine owner and operator, Eben Smith, and his family; hosted a summer school for a Kansas college; a camp for underprivileged girls; a weaving school for women during the New Deal; a tourist lodge; and several times a private residence. Townspeople, children, the socially prominent, business and religious leaders, laborers, students, and ordinary travelers-all have passed through her doors at one time or another and made the acquaintance of "Lady Estemere." The book also describes changes in the structure and furnishings of the main house through the years. Kim and Roger Ward purchased Estemere in 1998, and the book documents the extensive work the Wards have carried out to restore and upgrade this beautiful Queen Anne Victorian home and its outbuildings to a grandeur unequalled in its history. Thus, Estemere, after 125 years, once again stands proudly as the "Crown Jewel" of Palmer Lake.
About the Author: Daniel W. Edwards grew up in Denver and received a PhD from the University of Chicago. He served as a Peace Corps volunteer in Nepal. Dan worked in Washington, D.C., for MCI Telecommunications, the Center for Strategic and International Studies, and the US Department of Commerce until his retirement in 2009. Dan came to Palmer Lake in 1947 and continues to spend his summers at "Red Crag" cottage in Glen Park (a part of Palmer Lake). The cottage was built by his grandfather, J. Stanley Edwards, in 1901. Stanley was an officer of the Glen Park Improvement Company for many years. Dan's grandmother, Mabel W. Edwards, first visited Palmer Lake in 1891, taught elocution at the 1901 Rocky Mountain Chautauqua in Glen Park, and gave performances at the Chautauquas of 1899, 1903, and 1905. Dan's father, Walker S. Edwards, began coming to Palmer Lake in 1911, and his mother, Martha, in 1928, when she stayed at C.H.L. Pillsbury's house across the street from the building where Pillsbury had established the first grocery store in the town in 1886. Dan has done extensive research on the history of Palmer Lake that has resulted in a book, Dr. William Finley Thompson: Dental Surgeon and Founder of Palmer Lake (2008), and three "occasional papers" published by the Palmer Lake Historical Society: "Hotels, Tents, and Rustic and Tent Cottages in Glen Park," (2009); "A Painter, an Investor, and a Journalist at Early-Day Palmer Lake" (2010); and "The Glen Park Companies and Their Chautauquas" (2011). Copies of these publications are available at the Lucretia Vaile Museum in Palmer Lake. Roger and Kimberley Ward purchased Estemere in January 1998 and spent twelve years living in and restoring the "Grand Old Lady" Estemere to her present glory. Roger graduated from McMurry University in Abilene, Texas, in 1967 with his BA degree in Physics. He received his MS degree in Physics from Purdue University in 1969. He began his career in quartz crystal physics at Hewlett-Packard Laboratories in Palo Alto, CA. After working for several quartz crystal companies, in 1983 Roger joined a small group in Salt Lake City, UT, working on quartz crystal sensors. They formed Quartzdyne, Inc. in 1990. Quartzdyne soon became the world-premier manufacturer of quartz crystal pressure sensors for down-hole oil and gas applications. Roger was president of Quartzdyne from its inception. In January 1998 Dover Corp. purchased Quartzdyne, and Roger retired to Estemere in July 1999.