The William-Grey-Wilder House

Current Chamber of Commerce

345 E Lafayette Street

The William Gray - Wilder House was built about 1925. The William Gray family, consisting at the time of William Gray, Sr.’s widow, Marilla Crawford Gray, and their son, William Gray, Jr., built the house on the property of their home that it replaced. It was the finest home in Dadeville when it was built, valued in 1930 at $55,000 (converted to 2025, $1,067,000). This 2-story, 3-bay, brick dwelling has a low-pitched, hipped roof and two 1-story, hipped-roofed wings. A 1-story, brick porch with thick, square, brick piers and a concrete balustrade with turned posts extends across the front of the main block and continues as a patio in front of the side wings.

William Gray, Sr. was a prominent and influential business man of Dadeville. Mr. Gray was 73 years old when he died in 1921. A native of Tallapoosa County, he spent his entire life here with exception of a short while when he lived in Birmingham. He was one of the most prominent and highly esteemed men in East Alabama and numbered his friends by the thousands in all walks of life. He organized in 1887 the first bank in Tallapoosa County and remained its president till his death. He was president of Dadeville Cottonseed Oil Mills and connected with many other enterprises, and was a member of the Presbyterian Church.

Mrs. William Gray, the former Marilla Crawford, a daughter of Dr. and Mrs. James W. Crawford of Centerville, Alabama, came to Dadeville in 1891 to teach in the city schools, and she and Mr. Gray were married in 1892. Mrs. Gray was a lifelong and faithful member of the Presbyterian Church, having been a member of Woods Presbyterian Church for over 40 years. She later moved her membership to Dadeville when the First Presbyterian Church was organized and was a charter member of that church. In her active years, Mrs. Gray was the organizer, one of the charter members, and the first regent of Tohopeka Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution. Later she served as state secretary and in 1916 was state vice regent of the Daughters of the American Revolution. The house was built under the watchful eye of Mrs. Gray and her son William Gray. Jr., who was a native of Dadeville and a veteran of World War I. He served as president of the Tallapoosa County Bank after his father’s death, and had other business enterprises. In his latter years he founded and operated the Gray Nursing Home.

The house was bought by Adam Wilder in the 1930’s. Born in Coosa County, Mr. Wilder made his home' in Dadeville for 36 years, having engaged in the Coca- Cola bottling business until his retirement. He was active in community affairs, serving as a city councilman at one time.