In less than two (arduous) years Sarah and Dan Latham rescued this grand Main Street mansion from years of decadence. Since they purchased the Queen Anne style house with Shingle Style and Neo-Classical Revival motifs early in 2004, the couple has refreshed its curb appeal with a rich palete of Iate-Victorian earth tones. Many new "bones" in the foundation and roof now frame this once-sagging dwelling, supporting the canvas for the Latham's striking cosmetic touches that help the house reclaim its place of honor along Millionaires Row.
In 1902-03, local contractor Henry A. Osborne built the house for E. G. Moseley. Accounts at the dawn of the Edwardian Era suggest that the house provided a setting for lavish entertaining fit for the president of the Danville Tobacco Association. Mr. Moseley also was a much-beloved minister, for whom Moseley Memorial Methodist Church was named.
In 1938, the Rev. Moseley's widow sold her home to a relative, Mary Moseley Ley, who lived here six years before conveying the property to George Wesley Terry and his wife, the former Delphia Herndon. After Mr. Terry's death in 1949, Mrs. Terry married Dr. R. W. Garnett, the City's chief health officer.
In 1983, the house was purchased by Mr. Charles Staubus, only its fourth owner in as many generations. A local hairdresser, Mr. Staubus worked to stabilize the house, restoring many of its principal rooms. Failing health curtailed his planned exterior restoration, and the property remained in limbo for several years.
Sarah and Dan Latham's arrival from a city known for its preservation ethic, Annapolis, Maryland, proved a coup both for this house and the community. Under their watch, restoration of the Moseley House continues in the entrance hall with sumptuous scenic and trompe l'oeil decorative painting completed recently by a master practitioner of the art whose credits include the U. S. Capitol. Moreover, Danville's profile has been enhanced by the couple's enthusiastic efforts on behalf of their adopted community's historic resources.