About 20 years ago I drove past this ornate house near downtown Muskegon and I thought to myself, this is the most beautiful house I have ever seen. In the years since I have seen many other breathtaking houses in Michigan but the Hackley house is still at the top of my list. I am not sure why it’s taken me so long to go back and see it but I finally did and it still is an amazing home.
Charles Hackley moved to Michigan with his father and began working as a laborer in the sawmills. He worked his way up to become bookkeeper at the mill and then he partnered with Thomas Hume to create a successful lumbering company. In 1887 he built this stunning Queen Anne style home in Muskegon. To keep his family warm in the winter the house has seven fireplaces. It’s really hard to capture the detail of the woodwork along with its ornate 13 color paint scheme. This is one of those places that you have to see for yourself. You can learn more about the house and find out when it’s open for tours HERE
P.S. There is a rumor that Charles Hackley has ties to the Confederate gold moved after the end of the Civil War. The myth is that it was loaded on a train car and then pushed into Lake Michigan off a car ferry in a storm. I am not sure how true the story is but the History Channel is doing a show about it in March of 2018.
Find Interesting locations throughout the Mitten State with a Lost In Michigan book Available on Amazon by clicking HERE
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