This Victorian-era house in Coldwater is amazing. It was built by attorney Frank Skeels in 1886 and the woodwork on the outside is unbelievable. I can only imagine what it would cost to build a house like that today.
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This beautiful brick victorian house stands in downtown Chelsea. It was built around 1878 for Michigan State Senator James Gorman, a politician, lawyer, and cigar manufacturer. The house is now a bed and breakfast and is known as the Chelsea House Victorian Inn.
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Not far from downtown Flint is the ornate brick house. The historical marker standing in front of it gives some of its history.
The central portion of this handsome Victorian home was built in the late 1850s. Several prominent Flint families lived in it before Robert J. Whaley purchased it in 1884. Whaley a local lumberman and banker, remodeled the house extensively. Three bays, the library alcove and a west-end addition were among the exterior changes. The interior was enhanced by adding ornate woodwork and colorful tiled fireplaces. In 1925, Whaley’s wife endowed the house, making it a home for elderly women. In 1975 it became a public museum.
Robert J. Whaley was born in Castile, New York, in 1840. He moved to Wisconsin with his family in the 1840s, then returned to New York. There he met and married Mary McFarlan of Flint. Whaley and his bride moved to Flint in 1867. Here, he joined his father-in-law in lumbering and later banking. He purchased this gracious structure in 1884. Serving as president of Flint’s Citizens Bank for forty-one years, Whaley was also a trustee for the Michigan Charitable Schools, a Mason, an Elk and a 1912 Democratic candidate for state treasurer. He died in 1922.
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This stone mansion in Dowagiac is known as “The Rockery”. The historic 1890’s Romanesque Mansion was built for Fred and Katie Lee, President of the famous Round Oak Stove Company. It was built with locally harvested uncut fieldstone and has oak, maple, mahogany, and butternut hardwoods in the floors, walls, and ceilings. The home was heated back in the day with eight fireplaces. It is currently used as an apartment complex.
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Ornate victorian era homes painted in spectacular fashion are known as “Painted Ladies.” A spectacular example of such a house can be seen on Military Street in Port Huron. This stately residence was built in 1888 for lumber dealer John Jenkinson. It is one of only three “Hyde Park Villa” homes built in the U.S. designed by Chicago architect George O. Garnsey. The house is still a private residence today.
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When I say “the pigeon house”, I don’t mean a house full of pigeons. I saw this old farmhouse near the town of Pigeon in the Thumb. It probably has pigeons living in it but I don’t know. It looks to be in really bad shape. I am not sure if the guys from Bargain Block could even restore it. I had to mention the HGTV show because I am addicted to it right now. Two guys by abandoned Detroit houses and fix them up and flip them. I don’t normally watch those types of shows but it is Detroit and amazing what they do with some of the old houses they buy for a thousand bucks. Sorry, I lost my train of thought. Anyways, I stopped and got a pic from the road and moved on. If only walls could talk, they could tell a story of the life this house once had.
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I saw this old house somewhere near Port Austin. I don’t know its story and wonder what it would say if walls could talk. It is sad to see these old houses but they are a reminder of the people that came before us and the hard work they endured. I get frustrated when my cell service goes out I can not imagine how hard it was growing up a century ago.
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The many-sided house in Harbor Springs was built by Ephraim Shay, In 1891 he designed and built a hexagonal shaped house with six wings opening off the central core with a tower on top, still extant. The interior and exterior walls were stamped steel. He is the inventor of the Shay Locomotive Patented in 1881, and operated by a gear-drive mechanism. Its great traction and ability to operate on tight curves made it a favorite with logging and mining firms. Built in Lima, Ohio, thousands of Shays were operated by railroads throughout the world. Several were used on Shay’s Hemlock Central railroad which began here and ran about fifteen miles to the north. Shay, born in Ohio in 1839, was an inveterate mechanic. He built the Harbor Springs waterworks and later donated it to the city. His firm experimented with boats and automobiles, and one winter he built sleds for the children of the town. In 1888 Shay moved to Harbor Springs where he stayed until his death in 1916.
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The Michigan Historical Marker in front of this grand old home in Columbiaville reads:
This structure, completed in 1896, was the home of William Peter (1824-1899). Peter, a prominent Columbiaville businessman, was a rags-to-riches character. Around 1847 he came to the area from Germany via New York state, a penniless immigrant. Immediately he began working in a local sawmill. He invested his earnings in large tracts of land and platted the village of Columbiaville in 1871. From 1879 to 1899, Peter developed the community. He built a gristmill, a woolen mill, houses for his workmen, a school, a church and several commercial buildings including the railroad depot (see my my post about it HERE). Most of Columbiaville was owned and dominated by him. His wife, Roxanna, planned this Italianate residence, which still displays its original hardwood floors and decorative woodwork in oak, mahogany, walnut, cherry and maple.
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I love driving around Coldwater looking at all the historic homes. This magnificent house stands not far from the downtown business district. The historical marker that stands in front of it reads
This impressive Second Empire style home with a mansard roof was constructed in 1875 for Jay Chandler (1850-1884) and his young bride Frances. On this site from 1847-1871 had stood the Parrish flouring mill. Jay, the fourth son of locally prominent Albert Chandler, followed his brothers into the family hardware business. Albert founded the Coldwater Sentinel and served as the city’s first mayor. Jay Chandler sold his home to Lucius Wing in 1882.
Lucius M.Wing (1839-1921), Civil War captain, county sheriff, and prominent businessman, purchased this residence in 1882. That same year he served a term as mayor. Making notable contributions to the industrial, financial and social life of the city, he was the long time president of the local bank, a manufacturer of cigars, and the founder of the Bon Ami Social club. The house remained in the family for three generations until acquired by the Branch County Historical Society in 1974 for use as a historical museum.
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