By Ruth Ann Replogle
ALVA — In 1888 and 1889, several English, Irish and Scotsmen settled north of Harper, Kan., in their own colony called Runnymede.
“They came over here and just had a big party for several years,” said Jim Richey, who studied the history of the temporary town, along with Ken Brown.
“They were called remittance men. They were second and third sons not in the line of inheritance. They came over here to build a future,” Brown said.
“Basically, a big bunch of frat boys,” Richey added.
In the town of Runnymede, several buildings and businesses were formed, including a luxurious hotel called Runnymede Hotel. It was a three-story house with a veranda, reception rooms, offices, dining room and cellar, 11 bedrooms, chambers for bachelors and servants, and bathrooms.
Unfortunately, the rowdy ruckus of a town called Runnymede fell apart by 1892.
“In those days you have to have a railroad to survive,” Richey said. “They didn’t get a railroad.”
And so the hotel linens, dishes and fixtures were sold and three businessmen from Medicine Lodge, Kan., purchased the hotel building in late 1893. They had the third story removed and had the building transported 70 miles to Alva, M County, Oklahoma Territory. It was named Hendrickson Hotel in honor of one of the owners and operator George Hendrickson.
Hendrickson Hotel was Alva’s premiere hotel, Richey said. The name changed several times over the years, but went back to Runnymede Hotel in the early 1950s.
The hotel was remodeled a time or two and eventually fell into disarray. It stopped being a hotel and was more like a boarding house by the 1960s, Brown said. Several Alva businesses operated on the first floor well into the 1990s.
In 1998, Alva resident Dale Brown had a vision to restore the hotel to its original beauty and ambiance. She was president of Nescatunga Arts and Humanities Council at the time.
“Dale grew up in New Jersey where old buildings are common. Out here they tend to be torn down. It caught her attention,” said her husband, Ken, who manages The Runnymede, now a multi-purpose facility and cultural center.
A restoration committee, of which Richey is on, was formed to raise money through grants, fund-raisers of every kind and donations. Renovation began in 2004 and doors of The Runnymede officially opened to the public in January.
Dale Brown never did get to witness her dream. She died of complications of cancer shortly after establishing the restoration committee.
“I marvel at her ability to choose who she chose to work on the committee,” said Ken Brown. “Everybody had a skill or talent. Something got her to ask them. I think it’s been true to her overall vision.”
The building is not completely remodeled and refurbished. While the first and second floors can be rented, the third floor remains a jumble of wood frames and plumbing pipes.
“We ran out of money,” Brown said. He said he intends the third floor to house two suites, either as a bed-and-breakfast or temporary apartment living.
The first floor offers an elegance, an ambiance, for receptions while the second floor is well-lighted and suitable for meetings, Brown said. The second floor has renderings on the walls of all 15 of the murals around Alva.
Richey said the only major change to the building was an addition built onto the first floor for a modern kitchen and restrooms. The building does have all new heat and air units as well as an elevator.
“It’s still on the old foundation of red rock,” Richey said. “The exterior looks like what it did when it was moved here.” He added it is the only building dating back to the land run of 1893 that is still standing on the Square.
Brown said he hopes The Runnymede, 4th and Flynn, will be a center of activity for Alva.
“I’m trying to find ways for it to be more than a place to rent,” he said. He is looking into traveling art exhibits and a series of music concerts.
For rental details, call (580) 327-2467.
