The History of Wells HouseThe History of Wells House
Clark's Cobblestone Castle
In the spring of 1909, W.T. Clark and his wife Adelaide started construction on a new home that became known as Clark’s Cobblestone Castle and later as Wells House. The site they selected was on the top of a knoll with commanding views of the Columbia River and the Wenatchee Valley. Clarks’ Cobblestone Castle was deemed “the finest country home in the state of Washington.” Today, the land that was once surrounded by orchard is now the center of a residential area adjoining the campus of Wenatchee Valley College. 
Clark made his fortune in irrigation projects in Yakima. In 1902, Clark and his partner Marvin Chase moved to Wenatchee and formed the Wenatchee Canal Company. Their company was responsible for the creation of the Highline Canal project that eventually included the construction of the Columbia River Bridge as a means to carry irrigation water to East Wenatchee. The Cobblestone Castle, designed by Adelaide Clark, combined elements of the craftsman style, as detailed by the verandas extending off the southern side of the home, welcoming visitors from the main driveway with a touch of the medieval as seen in the circular stone tower on the southeast corner of the house.
Local materials were used in the construction, including river rock from the Columbia. Adelaide’s attention to detail extended to the design of a stained glass window on the stairway landing and a pair of doors opening off the main living area into the circular room at the base of the tower. When it was constructed, the Clarks spared no expense. The basement included a coal room, boiler room, food storage area, and a recreational area for social gatherings. The main floor offered a spacious living room, dining room, and kitchen area with butler’s pantry and welcoming entryway with wood floors of hemlock and white oak. The second floor provided the bedrooms and bathrooms for family and guests, while the third had attic and storage space. The house was wired for electricity and had modern plumbing throughout. Although they no longer exist, a double garage and some outbuildings once stood on the northwest corner of the original ten-acre lot. The entire structure was completed for $35,000. 
In 1919, Clark and his wife moved to Seattle and sold their Cobblestone Castle to A.Z. and Emogene Wells, who had also moved to Wenatchee in 1902. Wells owned orchards throughout the Wenatchee and Okanogan valleys and was active in community expansion projects. An astute businessman, he partnered with his nephew Alfred Morris to open Morris hardware and sell irrigation pipe, spray equipment, orchard machinery, and other hardware items. Wells and Morris dissolved their partnership in 1914, with Morris owning the store and Wells owning and operating the orchards. A year later, Wells partnered with well-known fruit-buyer Jim Wade, creating Wells and Wade Hardware on the corner of Wenatchee Avenue and Yakima Street. They later incorporated Wells and Wade Fruit Company, and, in 1937, Wells bought out Wade’s interest in both the fruit and hardware companies. In 1919, the Wells purchased Clark’s Cobblestone Castle from W.T. Clark. On the second floor, one of the north sleeping porches was called the Bird Room, as Emogene Wells enjoyed watching and feeding birds from there. Along with gifting the house in 1949 to the school district for a college campus, the couple created the Wells Foundation, a trust fund that continues to benefit the community in a variety of ways. A.Z. Wells died in 1950, and Emogene in 1972.
