                         |
 |
The Inn on Crescent Lake
Crescent Lake Manor, so named because of the crescent-shaped lakes (ponds that surround the mansion), was the stylish home for two decades of Dr. Aretas S. McCleary and family. Dr. McCleary was founder of the McCleary Sanatorium and Clinic in downtown Excelsior Springs.
Dr. McCleary purchased the 15 room Georgian colonial mansion in 1925 when he moved his medical practice fro Kansas City to Excelsior Springs. Excelsior Springs at that time was considered to be one of America’s leading mineral water resorts. The seller was Douglas Stinson, also a former Kansas Citian, who had the residence built in 1915 for his family.
Dr. Richard C. Hedges, of Kansas City North, grandson of Dr. McCleary and the only direct descendent still residing in Clay County, remembers that the latch string was always out at his grandparents’ home.
Easter egg hunts, ice skating, even an open range shooting gallery were a few of the pleasures available on the 20 acres of wooded grounds encircling the home. Upstairs at the mansion, ping-pong and pool were played in the third-floor ballroom.
Restive family Christmas celebrations were a big part of life at the manor as well as afternoon teas held on a regular basis for outpatients at the clinic. Sometimes as many as 200 guests were transported from the downtown clinic to the residence…where Dr. McCleary often greeted his patients as friends in the sun room.
A number of the stately pines were lost when a tornado roared through Crescent Lake Manor and the surrounding area in June 1947. The caretaker’s house also fell victim to the violent storm. Other outlying structures, Dr. Hedges recalls, included a good-size garage outfitted for three electric cars, a root cellar, a tool shed, a barn since torn down, and a unique ice house made of stone and two stories high (which still abuts the moat). Ice cut from the moat was stored there.
A major social event occurred at Crescent Lake Manor on June 23, 1937, when 700 relatives and friends gathered for the golden wedding celebration of Dr. and Mrs. McCleary. Dr. Hedges comments that the minister who officiated at the wedding was present for the renewal of the couple’s vows. The following year Anna McCleary died of congestive heart failure.
After Dr. McCleary’s death on October 21, 1946 at the age of 82, Crescent Lake Manor was unoccupied for several years until another grandson, Robert B. Hedges, who was associated with the clinic, move in with his family.
The children of Robert and Marion Hedges, Robert Jr., Susan and Joan, were reared at the manor, and both daughters were married there. A swimming pool and tennis court were added to the estate during this period. Mrs. Hedges continued the tradition of the teas for patients at the clinic until the clinic closed in 1974.
After Robert Hedges’ death, his widow sold Crescent Lake Manor to Mary Elizabeth Leake, who relocated from California to convert the manor to a bed and breakfast … from August 1988 until June 30, 1995. The manor then sold to Dr. Robert E. McClelland … and again became a private residence.
Bruce and Anne Libowitz, purchased the manor in the winter of 1996, at which time the manor was extensively renovated in the winter of 1997 and reborn on July 1, 1997 as the Inn on Crescent Lake. Ed and Irene Heege purchased the Inn in 2004.
In 2008, Patrick and Beverly Delugeau purchased the estate. The couple relocated here from France. Today, Beverly manages the estate, having revitalized the Inn with her own talents and traditions ... relax, rejuvenate, rekindle.
Return to top |
|
|
|
| Advertise With Us | Quick Contact | Home
