Among the attractions at Saturday's sesquicentennial celebration was the opportunity to see one of the community's oldest buildings undergoing a yearslong renovation. Owners Emily and Chuck Beesley showed their progress on the historic Waymire building.
Emily Beesley stands in the soon-to-open Waymire Historic Inn in Yates Center. Beesley and her husband, Chuck, opened the doors to visitors to catch a glimpse of their progress at the town’s 150th celebration Saturday. Photo by Susan Lynn / Iola Register
YATES CENTER – For Emily Beesley, celebrating her hometown’s 150th is as much as looking forward as looking back.
Beesely and her husband, Chuck, are transforming the upstairs of the Waymire Block building at 106 and 108 W. Rutledge St. into the Waymire Historic Inn, a boutique-style retreat named after Hiram Waymire, a successful merchant who built the structure in 1892.
On Saturday, the Beesleys welcomed visitors to inspect their progress.
Emily and Chuck Beesley show off the interior of a building they are renovating on Yates Center’s downtown square. Photo by Susan Lynn / Iola Register
Jerry Sedlacek shows off his leatherworks Saturday at Yates Center’s sesquicentennial celebration. Photo by Richard Luken / Iola Register
Addilee Swartz turns a crank which in turn braids together multiple pieces of twine during a rope-making demonstration at Yates Center’s sesquicentennial celebration Saturday. Photo by Richard Luken / Iola Register
A row of quilts, many dating back to the 1800s, is on display Saturday at the Light Hardware Grand Ballroom in Yates Center Saturday for the community’s 150th anniversary celebration. Photo by Richard Luken / Iola Register
Jarrod McVey, a local historian, talks about all things Yates Center during the community’s sesquicentennial celebration Saturday. McVey owns large collection of Yates Center memorabilia. He displayed some of his favorites in front of the Woodson County Courthouse. Photo by Richard Luken / Iola Register
Daniel Reynolds, from left, helps his daughter, Journey, and son, Jackson, as they attempt to use a two-man saw during Saturday’s Yates Center Days sesquicentennial celebration. Monitoring their progress is Michael McCullough. Photo by Richard Luken / Iola Register
Emily Beesley stands in what will be a very spacious bathroom at the soon-to-open Waymire Historic Inn in Yates Center. Beesley and her husband, Chuck, opened the doors to visitors to catch a glimpse of their progress at the town’s 150th celebration Saturday. Photo by Susan Lynn / Iola Register
Spectators check out the Light Hardware Grand Ballroom for a quilt show Saturday at Yates Center’s sesquicentennial celebration. Photo by Susan Lynn / Iola Register
Emily Beesley stands in front of a building she and her husband are renovating on Yates Center’s downtown square. Photo by Susan Lynn / Iola Register
Karen Stockebrand Faulkner, dressed in period attire, at Yates Center’s sesquicentennial.
Yates Center capped its sesquicentennial Saturday with a pageant celebrating the town’s unique and colorful history. Photo by Richard Luken / Iola Register
Spectators check out the activities Saturday at Yates Center’s sesquicentennial celebration. Photo by Richard Luken / Iola Register
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In addition to their own investment, the Beesleys received grant funds from the Kansas Department of Commerce and the Patterson Foundation, to go toward the extensive renovation.
The building holds deep personal ties for Emily. She inherited it from her grandmother, Ellen Steele, who operated Daylight Donuts for 42 years on its ground floor. Steele passed away in 2016.
After first renovating the former shop into a retail space — now home to the Southeast Kansas Mental Health Center Woodson County case managers — the Beesleys turned their focus upstairs with a bigger vision: bringing lodging back to Yates Center.
“With the Townsman Motel closing about 18 months ago, lodging in Yates Center has been limited,” Emily Beesley said. “We want to change that.”The entrance to the downstairs guest room in the Waymire Historic Inn gives homage to Chief Opothleyahola of the “Trail of Blood on Ice,” fame.
The Waymire Historic Inn will ultimately feature five suites and a small event kitchen. The Beesleys plan to open three of the units in the next couple of months.
The couple have been working on the renovation for two years.
“It’s our home-away-from-home project,” she said.
The Beesleys live in Piedmont, Okla., where Emily works as an advisor for the Oklahoma Small Business Development Center and Chuck works in cybersecurity for Oklahoma Gas & Electric.
Together, they’ve been intentional about blending modern comforts with the building’s historic charm.
Original tin ceilings, old trim, doors, and floors have been preserved, while vintage chandeliers and other character pieces have been sourced from antique shops and salvage yards.
One thing they don’t have to worry about is the view. The building faces the town’s historic courthouse and its picture-postcard downtown square.
