Lyons-Stelly Home | Lyons Building-Tree House Loft

The Lyons-Stelly Home

The Benson H. Lyons House (c. 1900) is a large Queen Anne Revival style residence with prominent Eastlake features. The double wraparound gallery which outlines three sides of the home is bedecked with elaborate woodwork which makes this one of the most pretentious homes in Vernon Parish.

"

According to tradition, the Lyons House was built in 1890 by Dr. E.E. Smart (founder of Leesville), for his daughter Lula and her husband, Benson H. Lyons. Mr. Lyons served as Vernon Parish Sherriff and was a successful lumberman. Mr. and Mrs. Lyons donated land for churches and schools and were involved in many other civic endeavors.

Their home is located on the corner of First and Lula Streets, the latter of which was named for Mrs. Lyons. It sits behind the Vernon Parish Courthouse and just across the street from the original Smart Plantation home. Mrs. Lyons lived in the home until her death in 1944. She left the house to her daughter who remained in the home until 1963 when it was sold to Harry Edward James, Jr.

In 2003, the home was purchased by LaFonda Stelly, and serious restoration was begun. In 2004 it was placed on the the National Register of Historic Places. Today, it stands proudly once again and will be one of the featured homes in the 2010 Leesville Tour of Homes.

Return to Top

The Lyons Building

The Lyons Building, located at 115 South 3rd St., is Italianate in style. The flat roof, imposing cornices, and arched windows combine to form one of Leesville's oldest and most elegant buildings. At the main entrance to the building, you will see the original mosaic tile which still runs throughout the first floor of the building.

The building is remembered by many as the location of both the famous "Happy Hour Cafe" and the office of Dr. I. O. Winfree, a dentist who practiced for over 50 years in the same location. In fact, several of the windows on the upper floor still bear Dr. Winfree's name. In the 1960s the lower floor housed Lenahan's Department Store.

   

This building, along with the entire row of buildings on the east side of Third Street, between Texas and Courthouse Streets were built by B.H. Lyons. Originally, there was a matching building on the north end of the block, but it, and at least one adjoining building, was destroyed by a fire in the 1920s. At that time, Mr. Lyons replaced them with the buildings that remain to this day.

Today, the upper floor is used as a residence which is fondly known to locals as the Tree House Loft. It is one of the featured homes in the 2010 Leesville Tour of Homes. The ground floor contains the offices for CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocates).

2011 Tour Ward House Booker-Lewis House Oak Pointe Wellness Center Historic Vernon Parish Courthouse Legendre House Tracy House Dr. E. E. Smart House Red Studio

Past Tours Lyons Building / Lyons-Stelly Home Booker-Lewis / Ward House Gallery One Ellleven / Red Studio Ballagh Home

Return to Top