Artesia in Eddy County, New Mexico — The American Mountains (Southwest)

The Gesler House

Photographed by Duane and Tracy Marsteller, October 9, 2023

1. The Gesler House Marker

Inscription.
has been placed on the
National Register
of Historic Places
by the United States
Department of the Interior
1907

Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Architecture. In addition, it is included in the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) series list. A significant historical year for this entry is 1907.

Location. 32° 50.263′ N, 104° 24.127′ W. Marker is in Artesia, New Mexico, in Eddy County. It is at the intersection of West Missouri Avenue and South 5th Street, on the right when traveling east on West Missouri Avenue. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 411 W Missouri Ave, Artesia NM 88210, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in New Mexico’s Pecos Valley. It is also in the American Southwest,

on the Great Plains,

on the Southern Plains,

and specifically on the High Plains.

Globally, it is in North America,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once New Spain,

the Comanchería,

and the Republic of Texas.

Other nearby markers. At least

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8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: The Mauldin-Hall House (about 700 feet away, measured in a direct line); The Atkeson-Conner House (approx. 0.2 miles away); The Lukins House (approx. ¼ mile away); The Partnership (approx. 0.3 miles away); The Derrick Floor (approx. 0.3 miles away); Mack C. Chase (approx. 0.3 miles away); Mary Emmons Yates (approx. 0.3 miles away); John R. Gray (approx. 0.3 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Artesia.

Regarding The Gesler House. Excerpt from the National Register nomination:

The house was probably built in 1907 when Edward R. Gesler and his wife, Elida, mortgaged the property to John A. Orr for $2700. Gesler had a 480-acre farm lying along the railroad four miles south of Artesia. He was a nurseryman who came from Galesburg, Illinois in 1904.

The Gesler farm was said to be one of the show pieces of the Pecos Valley. When he bought the farm land in 1904, he dug his own artesian well with his own machine. Within a few years he had fifteen acres of cantaloupes, five acres in cucumbers, forty acres in pumpkins and squash, ten acres in wax beans, and five
Photographed by Duane and Tracy Marsteller, October 9, 2023

2. The Gesler House Marker
acres in popcorn. On additional acres he grew seed for a Chicago seed house. He fed the melons and pumpkins to hogs and calves. In Artesia, he had a meat market.

Later owners of the house were C. F. Reynolds and Silas Rogers. The Rogers family owned the house from 1921 to 1981.

Also see . . . Edward R. Gesler House (PDF). National Register nomination for the house, which was listed as part of the Artificial Stone Houses of Artesia group in 1984. (Prepared by Betsy Swanson, New Mexico Historic Preservation Division; via National Archives) (Submitted on October 30, 2023, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee.)

Credits. This page was last revised on October 31, 2023. It was originally submitted on October 30, 2023, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee. This page has been viewed 222 times since then and 31 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on October 30, 2023, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee.