The Historic Eleanor Davis House is a Queen Anne Victorian home built in 1894 by Edward W. Herriman of Herriman Lumber. The millwork of each room was crafted of different exotic woods. Handcrafted ornate wood fretwork adorns the Front Hall, and entrances to the Living Room and Kitchen, which retain their original sliding doors. The doors and mouldings of the home have never been painted and can be experienced in their original state. Other fine details include the Front Porch with original baroque balusters, carved gables, entablature above paired colonnettes, ornamental corbels, beveled and leaded glass and a handcrafted staircase.
Eleanor Davis was a gifted pianist, composer and had a beautiful soprano voice. In 1922, she debuted at the Metropolitan Opera House in New York City, giving a vocal and piano recital of her own compositions. Eleanor and her mother Tully performed as a music duo in many venues in New York City with many distinguished musicians of the time. They hosted a national radio show that debuted in 1925 and continued for decades. Throughout her career, Eleanor composed more than 80 works for voice, piano, organ, strings and ensemble.
After Eleanor's death in 1973, the home sat vacant for many years and fell into a state of disrepair but was restored to its former beauty in 2023 by Architect Jim Smith and his wife Anneliesa. Formerly the Edward W. Herriman House, the home was renamed to honor Eleanor Davis, the Hannibal native and lifelong resident who achieved greatly in the music business as an educator, an opera singer and a rare woman composer of serious / classical music on the national stage.
Staying here offers the traveler in search of history a uniquely clear connection to Hannibal's past, its place in time and to the local culture – with modern amenities.