The Whaley Mansion

It is a story that is told over and over- the settling of the exciting West!

He was an engineer and lawyer from Nebraska, working with the big railroads, specializing in building large gravity flow irrigation ditches. He was John Ellingsworth, a man whose work put him in a unique position of gaining great wealth.

In a time when the Railroads were extending their lines into raw country throughout the land, John was always told of their plans. He would go into the next area and engineer the new “Ditch” to bring water to a parched desert.

Knowing where the next ditch would be built, John bought up acres of the dry worthless land. With his own private funds, John would pay to have the big ditch built. When all was in place and the ditch was full of water, he would sell the land with water rights, and make a huge profit.

Around 1911, John and his wife Clara had taken a shine to the Chelan area. They bought a catalog house and had the pieces sent west. Here, John built the last ditch of his career.

The house came by rail to Ephrata, WA, the end of the line. Teams and wagons brought the house materials to Chelan, taking five days round trip. Steam Boats carried the beautiful old growth oak doors, windows, woodwork, flooring and pillars made in San Francisco up the Columbia River.

Once everything was in place, John brought Clara and their 5 children to Chelan. Then a sudden and unexpected tragedy befell them. Soon after the arrival of his family, John suffered from a stroke and quickly slipped away.

When John died, his entire estate was put into probate. Clara Ellingsworth was left without access to her husband’s funds and was unable to finance the building of her home. The primary contractor, a young man by the name of Mr. Lewis, had arrived with the house, and was staying at the Campbell Hotel waiting to start. Clara borrowed $3,500.00 from Rosa Whaley to erect the house. The loan was to be repaid one year later, when Clara’s husband’s substantial funds were to be released. (The Ellingsworths and John’s business partner had $150,000.00 in a Chicago Bank. That amount would be about $25,000,000.00 today.) With the money Clara borrowed from Rosa Whaley, the Ellingsworth’s house was built and paid for.

About 1 year later, with the date for the repayment of Clara’s loan from Rosa Whaley drawing near, the letters Clara had sent to her late husband’s business partner in Chicago came back. On them it was written, “Nobody here by that name”. Her husband’s best friend and business partner had disappeared, Clara’s family’s money with him. Clara, who arrived in Chelan a wealthy woman, with a handmade automobile and her children in private schools, was now broke. She gave her house to Whaleys in 1919 for that tiny debt she was unable to repay.

When Clara’s boys came back from the trenches in France after WW1, they found their mother destitute, living in a little shack, desperately trying to make a living with a Restaurant named the Palms. Eventually, Clara died of a broken heart.

Mary Kay's Whaley Mansion Bed & Breakfast

Mary Kay moved into the Whaley Mansion in October 4, 1975 with her husband. In 1984, following the loss of her second parent and once again single, she made the decision to transform her home into a bed and breakfast. Her love of people and need to earn a living made her choice of career as hostess to an elegant bed and breakfast an easy one.

Using the resources she had, and borrowing the rest, Mary Kay transformed her house with the addition of private baths for each of the 6 bedrooms, the installation of an indoor sprinkler system and fire alarm, a fire escape with lovely white iron from New Orleans, as well as the addition of a countless smaller changes that were made within the home.

The first guests arrived on July 25, 1984. Mary Kay was thrilled! She was finally doing something she enjoyed- making friends- and getting paid for it, an added bonus!

In 1986, Mary Kay’s dear friend, Carol Addison “temporarily” moved into the Whaley Mansion to spend two weeks, until she could find an apartment. That was 20 years ago. Mary Kay warns, “Don’t invite her over for the weekend- she never goes home.”

Mary Kay and Carol Addison found they made the perfect team for running the Whaley Mansion Bed and Breakfast. Carol, a banker, took over the books and the cooking. The constant requests by the guests for her recipes inspired Carol to publish her own cookbook CD entitled “The Whaley Mansion High Cholesterol- Happy Heart Attack Cook Book.” Copies are available for those wishing to indulge their tastebuds.

The Whaley Mansion Bed and Breakfast was the first Bed and Breakfast to be listed in the AAA guide book. At the time, it didn’t have a section for B&B’s, so the listing was in the back of the book with the State Parks.

The Whaley Mansion Bed and Breakfast was given AAA’s first “4 Diamond” award for Bed and Breakfasts nationwide. The Mansion has been featured in countless newspapers and magazines including The New York Times, London Times, Sunset Magazine, Travel and Leisure, The National Graphic Travel Magazine, and it was the centerfold feature in Just Desserts Magazine. Additionally, The Whaley Mansion Bed and Breakfast has frequently been featured in travel programs on television.

Mary Kay and Carol Addison welcome guests from all walks of life to experience the elegance and charm of the Whaley Mansion Bed and Breakfast.

For reservations and other Information,

Please Call 1-800-729-2408