Newspaper articles dating from 1910 chronicled the building of this house by a contractor for Emma C. Lewis. It was to become her home for the rest of her life. Her daughter, Esther Lewis, had married Charles Herzog Jr. and it became their home for the rest of their lives as well.

 

Charles Herzog Jr. was in business with his brother-in-law, Walter Lewis, at a mercantile store in Parker from 1910 to 1916.  In 1916, Walter retired to a chicken ranch in California. Charles continued to run the mercantile store until his death in 1939. In 1945, Esther remarried to Strafford Tallman, son of John M. & Elizabeth Tallman. They both lived out their lives at the place.

 

Esther and her brothers, Charles Robert Lewis, John Henry Lewis, and Walter M. Lewis were the children of John Richard Lewis and Emma C. Mayo Lewis. John Richard was a railroad man, last working for the Kansas Pacific RR. He also maintained a small ranch with Emma in Arapahoe County at Melvin, Colorado. This ranch is now the south end of the Cherry Creek Reservoir property. John Richard died in 1894 at the young age of 53. However, with help from the children, Emma continued to maintain the farm. In 1909, Emma left the farm to go to Telluride to live with her daughter and son-in-law, Charles Herzog Jr., where Charles was employed at the Kracaw Grocery. When the Herzogs came to Parker to enter into business with Walter Lewis, Emma came with them.

 

Information to prepare this page came from Our Heritage by the Douglas County Historical Society, and various articles from Record Journal.

 

This building has been landmarked by the Town of Parker.

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