| Silent Film Star Edna Purviance’s childhood Lovelock Home PHOTOS OF LOCATION OF EDNA'S HOME October 21, 2004 - by Linda Wada Research Copyright 2003 and 2014, Linda Wada Photos: Marzen Museum, Pershing County in Lovelock, Nevada Information from Linda Wada's Edna Purviance Research File  |
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1906 - Edna's home and hotel property about 1906. It was called Central Lodging at this time. Louise, Edna's mother, was married to Robert Nurnberger, who ran a plumbing shop at the back of the hotel. Most of the hotel, like during Madison's day, was leased. In 1906, the name on the building was 'Central Lodging, Saloon and Club Cafe. The family was still living at the lodging house during this time. Photo: Courtesy of the Marzen Museum |
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Edna's Lovelock home, as it looked in 1910. This was before her step-father, Robert Nurnberger, died in February 1911. Number 2 was the lodging house. It was called Central House at this time. The front and upstairs were remodeled by Nurnberger. Number 1 was the French Laundry. In 1925, this building became The Up to Date Laundry and is still at the same location, but closed today. Number 3 is the Methodist Church Edna and her family attended. Also, notice the two trees along side the north side of the building. Photo: Courtesy of Pershing County Records Office |
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| Edna's Lovelock Lot, as it looked 2002. Edna's home is gone. The laundry building on Lot 17 extends into Lot 18 by 9-1/2 feet. (See image below for where the building and Lot 18 was located.) Once again, notice the tree near the corner on the right. It measured over six feet around the trunk and showed signs of being trimmed back many times. Would love to know the age of that tree. Photo: Linda Wada, Edna Purviance Research File |
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1910 - Robert Nurnberger Plumbing Shop. (circle with X) Robert built this business in November 1904. In 1910, Robert was very ill, so the family leased the plumbing shop to George E. Wilkinson of Sparks, Nevada. During Robert's illness, he and Louise spent many months of 1910 in the Oakland, California area at the Hill Family home. Edna spent time in the Bay Area too, but also lived with her sisters at their homes in Lovelock and in Winnemucca during Robert's long illness. The small slanted roof building (X) could still be on the lot, for a similar building still exists on the property today. Photo: Courtesy of Pershing County Records Office |
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November 2002 - This is where Edna's home would be if it existed today. Edna's home was leveled by the owners of The Up To Date Laundry in about 1946. The family who leveled the home did not know it was the Lovelock home of a silent film star. It was an old wood building in the 1940's with many small rooms in disrepair. It even had a fire in the upstairs at one time. The building served its purpose of being a home and business for the Purviance family, but its fortune had come to a finish in the 1940's. I'm still trying to find out about the tree on the corner, because if the age can be determined, it could be a living link to Edna's past. Photo: Linda Wada, Edna Purviance Research File |
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November 2002 - Circled in blue is the remodeled plumbing shop that Robert Nurnberger once built. The roof was lowered and the entry changed, but the location of that section of building is the same as it was in the 1910 photo. An article in the Lovelock newspaper did say the plumbing shop building was remodeled. I have extensive documents on this building as well as the hotel property and lots. The street location for Edna's Lovelock home was right on the corner of 5th Street and Railroad. Today the street names are 9th Street and West Broadway. The only buildings still standing are The Up To Date Laundry on Lot 17 (which was a general store in Edna's childhood and never owned by the Purviance family), and the remodeled Nurnberger Plumbing shop, which still houses a part time plumbing business. Photo: Linda Wada, Edna Purviance Research File By Linda Wada, ednapurviance.org |
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| December 1946 - This is the Lovelock Review-Miner article on the remodel of the former Robert Nurnberger Plumbing Shop in 1946. George Lang sold the shop to his son John. John and his business partner bought an county building and moved it onto the Lot. The old shop was remodeled into the display room for plumbing and electrical fixtures. From: Linda Wada, Edna Purviance Research File Lovelock Review-Miner |
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Lovelock, Nevada - 1910 - 2002 Map A- Edna Purviance's Home and Lodging House B- Nurnberger's Plumbing Shop C- Alaska Hotel D- Lovelock French Laundry Lot 17 E- Piper Hardware - 1899 - 1907 |
F- Old Big Meadow Hotel G- Saloon in 1910, Laundry 2002 H- Bar, '02, appears same building 1910 J- A saloon today at same location K- Church location same as today (Edna's church) |
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October 1, 1915 - Artist drawing of the planned 1915-1916 Big Meadow Hotel. It took over several city lots. Railroad Street was along the left side. Edna would have walked right by this hotel, as the depot was across the street to the right side of the hotel. Image from Lovelock Review-Miner October 1, 1915 From: Linda Wada, Edna Purviance Research File |
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September 2002 - The open space between the telephone pole and the buildings to the right is where the Big Meadow Hotel was located. It changed a few times over the years, but it was at this location where Edna and her family first stayed in Lovelock in December 1898. See above the 1915 artist drawing of the hotel planned for that year. Photo: Linda Wada, Edna Purviance Research File |
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September 2002 - I have not fully researched the buildings along this section of Broadway today. These are the only three buildings left along the block between the former Purviance home and the Lovelock Train Depot. All have gone through changes over the years. The taller, yellow building is a laundry today but was a saloon in Edna's day. A grocery store was on the left of the laundry building in 1910, gone today. Longhorn Bar, in the center of the three, appears to be the same building as in Edna's day. From: Linda Wada, Edna Purviance Research File |
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September 2002 - The railroad tracks have been slightly repositioned over the years, but from this angle you can get an idea how close the Purviance family home and business was from the tracks. In the background is The Up to Date Laundry on Lot 17 in City Block 14. From: Linda Wada, Edna Purviance Research File |
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| September 2002 - Looking south, southwest along Broadway Street. Except for The Up to Date Laundry and some homes, all the other business on the west side of the street in this view are gone. Photo: Linda Wada. From: Linda Wada, Edna Purviance Research File |
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September 2002 - This is a closeup of the doors on The Up to Date Laundry building. Exactly when these doors were added, I do not know. The Lovelock French Laundry closed sometime late in 1915, and the tax records show a saloon opening in the building on Lot 17 which was owned by Frank Baker. The doors may have been installed at that time. Photo: Linda Wada. Lot 17 in City Block 14. Close up of The Up to Date Laundry Doors. From: Linda Wada, Edna Purviance Research File |
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All other content Copyright 2003-2016 - Edna Purviance, ednapurviance.org Research Collection
Linda Wada, WadaWorks, All Rights Reserved
including photos and newspaper articles from public and private collections.
Special thanks to the official county offices and libraries from Humboldt and Perishing County.