Dr. Eleanor Larson Donley Estate
The Estate
The Larson estate has about as much history in its residents as the town of Elkland itself! It is located at 217 W. Main Street in Elkland, Pennsylvania.
Often homes receive their names from prominent previous owners or current residents. That was the case in this home. Dr. Eleanor Larson was easily one of the most brilliant people in Tioga County. She was the 12th doctor to practice in Elkland and the first woman. She graduated from University of Pittsburgh, Harvard University, and Woman's Medical College in 1930 with the degree of medicine. She married a pharmacist by the last name of Donley. His pharmacy was where Buchanan Brothers is now.
Her practice in Elkland began in 1931, but she moved into the house in 1936 from Hotel Signor which was located where the Guthrie Health Clinic currently is. The office was in the living room, which was divided in the middle. The main foyer of the house was the waiting room and the front of the living room contained the office. The back half of the living room was the living room for the residents of the house. In the 1940's, I am told by Helen Larson Holland, one of Eleanor's two daughters, a vast amount of remodeling took place.
In the back yard we can find a small two story barn containing stables for the three horses that grazed in the fenced in back lawn. Also a two car garage is part of this.
Now the home hosts an unbelievably large living room that is full of splendor and grandeur with a large fire place against the east wall under a huge full sized mirror which brings an added sense of light into the room. Foyer also is very large with a huge space that Mrs. Larson used as an area to showcase her collectables. It also features a grand, beautifully carved staircase gently curving at the top into an upper landing to 3 bedrooms and a bathroom. It also contains a large iron woodstove. Back downstairs, the master bedroom is large with a his and her closet. In the his closet is a built in dresser in the back, and in her's, on the inner right side of the door is some writing that appears to be a secret message, but is still unknown to us. A great master bath with the biggest walk-in shower that i have ever seen is also part of the house. The use of mirrors is very apparent in that they are all along the south wall of the bathroom as well as on the door. In the dining room, a beautiful, faux chandelier hangs from the ceiling and the room hosts lucious, red wine carpet. From here, you can walk out to the added sunroom with a large slate tiled floor. It used to be a veranda, but was changed to the skylighted room where one could be inside and outside at the same time. They could also from the dining room descend the back curving staircase to the second largest room in the house only to the living room. Again from the dining room one can enter the tile-walled kitchen. Dr. Larson also added to the back of the house an official waiting room and doctor's office. They were redone when the newest and current members of the house moved in, the Floerchingers. They are now a modern, blue and white bedroom that has a relaxing feeling with a tree and a single plant adding a green accent. The other room, the former waiting room, is the brightest room in the house with yellow walls and is used as a baby's room. It also features as the only room in the house other than the stately living room, crown molding along the ceiling with a border of bright, string lights.
The house had many owners before Mr. Donley and Ms. Larson. It was built by probably by Joel G. Parkhurst. He was ordered to sell the home to Joel Parkhurst as pay for debts that he owed. Joel mentions in his will that the property is to go to his daughter Susie Parkhurst Grier, wife of reverend John Grier. She willed the property to her brother, Benjamin H. Parkhurst. He was forced to sell the property to his sister's widower, John Grier. John Grier and his second wife, Mary, sold the home to Arthur B. Miner who sold it to Charles L. Pattison. Charles L. Pattison and his wife Josephine sold the home to Ed Donley and Eleanor Larson. After Edward's death, Dr. Larson bought some land from Glenn Horton and Mary Jane Bailey. In 1995, Dr. Larson transferred the deed to her daughters, Nancy Singleton and Helen Holland. In 2002, the estate was purchased by Mr. Peter Floerchinger and Maureen McLaughlin Floerchinger. He is a native of Rodalben, Bavaria, Germany, and she is from Westfield, PA, daughter of Rudy and Carol (Eaves) McLaughlin.
The Larson Estate Dining Room
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Dr. Eleanor Larson in her living room
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Doctor case used by Dr. Larson. Some of the medicine was from her husband's pharmacy
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