Wilson House reflects 1960’s-era way of life

By Melonie Roberts Special to The Monett Monthly

Stepping into the Wilson House Airbnb, one almost feels as if the Apollo Lunar Landing is just a future dream, that the world revolved around the new music, featuring the British Invasion, rock and roll, Motown, and folk-rock, making its way around the world, and at any moment it would be time to switch on the television to watch Bonanza, Bewitched or The Andy Griffith Show.

But it was in 1957 that Ron Wilson started building a home for his beloved Martha, at 1505 Sheilah Lane in Monett. 

Now owners, Dennis and Beverly Mayer Childress, who grew up in Monett and attended school with the Wilsons’s daughter, Ronnie, bought the home in May 2024, and found a treasure trove of memorabilia. Between the three, they were able to recreate the authenticity of the original home.  

“Ron had fought in Korea, and married Martha while he was home on leave in 1953,” Beverly said. “So, when he finally came  home in 1954  and started working for Friend Tire, he decided to build this house for Martha, and everything she wanted, she got.”

“And, she was a very stylish lady,” Dennis said. “She ran clothing stores down on Broadway and all this. But anyways, she had this brown tone on the backsplash, and she had a brown oven and a brown cooktop, and I wanted to keep them, but I couldn’t.”

The couple found a company called Big Chill, that specializes in replica furnishings, and replaced the stove, dishwasher and refrigeration units in the kitchen. The remainder of the interior, including the brown backsplash, remain original.

“You know, from a repair standpoint, take them out,” Beverly said. “You have to balance with Airbnb. You want to stay vintage, but you have to be safe. The research that we did, this goes back to I think April, May of ‘24 when we bought it, and by April, May of ‘25, we refurbed it and opened it. It was really a labor of love. I mean, we just enjoyed it. I was over here quite a bit, did most of the work myself with the exception of some wiring and some other things like that. But um we enjoyed working on it.”

The kitchen is stocked with original Reverewear cookware and both Melmac and ceramic tableware, as well as a vintage coffee maker. The display shelves in the dining nook feature a mix of Wilson and Mayer memorabilia. 

“Guests obviously use the stuff,” Dennis said. 

He indicated a framed painting in the kitchen.

“The Last Supper,” he said. “We were going through a bunch of old pictures and stuff, and we ran onto this thing. And it had a piece of a fishing line on the back of it, and the frame was masking tape. And they hung that in the kitchen, I think. But we took it because we always thought every kitchen needs a picture with Jesus in it during this day and time. It truly is an original picture.”

What the duo couldn’t find in the combined Wilson-Mayer stores, they searched out in vintage resellers across the state.

The wiring and some of the refurbishment went to local businesses.

“We are very much committed to doing as much business in Monett as possible,” Beverly said. “So when it came to this house, we used a Monett electrician, we used a Monett plumber, we used a Monett landscaper, we, you know, we were just, you know, like Sherwin-Williams, I mean we really did everything that we could to stay in Monett if we could.”

The old loop shag carpeting hid a beautiful wood floor.

“I took all the carpet up, took all the staples out, and cleaned the floor up, and we had the floor refinished,” Dennis said.  “From when they built it in 1957 until about 1963 or 1964, it was hardwood. They adopted their first child, Brent, in ‘64 and Martha did not want her baby crawling on hardwood floors.

“Dennis took it all out, on hands and knees, staples, everything,” Beverly said. 

“I hired out the refinishing of this floor, and the restaining of it, and the resealing,” Dennis said.

“So, this is the original color,” Beverly said. “It’s white and red oak, it’s a mix. If you notice, the slats are not the same. It’s a total mix.”

Bedrooms feature 1960-era furnishings and soft goods continuing the theme throughout the home. A later addition featured a dry bar, containing glassware and stemware featuring the Wilson monogram. The room also contains the original bar stools and lamps from the mid-to late 1960s.

“About 75% of the decor is from the Wilson family,” Beverly said. “The rest is from my family, the Mayer family, or from vintage shops that we visited during the renovations.”

The screen door is from Monalco (Monett Aluminum Company), which later became Wells Aluminum, the company that supplied goods to a majority of Monett homes in that era.

“Nearly everyone here had Monalco doors and windows,” Dennis said. 

Landscaping included the removal of a 7-foot tall hedge that surrounded the property and several elm trees that had sustained damage. Only a portion of the original hedge remains on the property’s corners.

From original kitchen, living and bath fixtures and authentic decor, the Wilson House Airbnb offers guests a trip down Memory Lane and the chance to live, briefly, back in a time when daily life was simpler and pleasures included family time crowded around a single television set or a trip to the drive-in movies.  

“We’ve had repeat guests,” Beverly said. “And people have come from all over. There is a map in the recreation room where people can place a pin in their home city, if they want to. We’ve had guests from everywhere, for work, family events, reunions and more. So many of them say this is like stepping into their childhood homes, and that is exactly what we were hoping to achieve.

“This isn’t the Childress House. We may own it, but it has always been, and always will be, The Wilson House.”

Rental information about the Wilson House is available at https://evolve.com.