Walking Tour-10 Buffalo Street-Walking Tour Home Page
(West Side of Street)

The first building on this lot was probably built by 1855, when tax assessment values were high enough to indicate a building. However, the style of the original section of this house, the Gothic Revival style, seems early for that style in this area. Perhaps there was a small early Greek Revival style building here which was remodeled in succeeding years. The value changed little from 1855 until 1880 when it tripled indicating major improvements. The 1872 Map of the Village shows a building footprint on this site. This footprint does not correspond to the footprint of the building before a 1992 remodeling, further indicating a major change. It seems likely that in 1878/79, owner, Jonas Edmonson constructed the Gothic Revival style house on the foundations of an earlier building.

The barge board treatment in the steeply pitched, pointed-arch gable is original to the construction of this house, and typical of the style. The front porch detail, which used the gable detail for inspiration was designed by Ruth E. Basinger, (Mrs. Lysle Basinger), who lived at 8 E. Washington. She purchased the 10 Buffalo property in 1985. She began restoration of the home by removing a cement block, enclosed front porch and the asbestos siding which covered the original wood clapboard. The new porch design was based on other Michigan Gothic Revival porches. A delapidated garage, circa 1940, on the north side of the property behind the house was demolished. The interior of the house was gutted and reconstruction began.

Upon Mrs. Basinger's death, in 1991, the house was sold to the owners of another Village home. The new owners completed the reconstruction and added a 20' addition to the west end of house, removing the single story kitchen. Windows in this section are all either new or reclaimed.

Official Property Description:

• Lot 4 Block 1 of Nelson W. Clark's Original Plat of the Village in the Southeast 1/4 of Section 20 in Independence Township.
• Lot 48 of the Assessor's Plat.

Significant Property History:

[A Synopsis Of Property Transfers Derived From Abstracts
(when available) And Periodic Changes In Ownership Or
Assessed Value Derived From Township Tax Records]

• 1831 United States to Butler Holcomb.
• 1833 Butler Holcomb & wife, Mary, To Roswell/Roosevelt Holcomb, the west 1/2 of the Southeast 1/4 of Section 20.
• 1833 Butler Holcomb & wife, Mary, To Roswell/Roosevelt Holcomb, and wife, Elvine Holcomb, and Daniel B. Holcomb and wife, Alimira, to Jeremiah Clark, the south part of the west 1/2 of the Southeast 1/4 of Section 20.
• 1839 Jeremiah Clark to Nelson Washington Clark, the undivided 1/2 of the west 1/2 of the Southeast 1/4 of Section 20 commencing.......
• 1842 Jeremiah Clark & wife, Polly, to Nelson W. Clark, the south part of the west 1/2 of the Southeast 1/4 of Section 20. Also other land.
• 1842 Jeremiah Clark & Nelson W. Clark to Village of Clarkston (Original plat of the Village).
• 1846 Joseph "Hoit" Lot 4 Block 1, assessed value $35.
• 1847 Joseph "Hoit" Lot 4 Block 1, assessed value $45.
• 1849 Milton H. Clark, assessed value $83.
• 1850 Milton H. Clark, assessed value $90.
• 1852 Milton H. Clark.
• 1855 J. Land, assessed value $400 (Note: the Building/Structure Inventory Form cited the tax record of Wm. Brown for this year, and for 1856, but the tax records listed his property as Lot 4 in the Western Addition, while listing J. Land for Lot 4 in Block 1, this site).
• 1867 Wm. J. Land, assessed value $300.
• 1870 Jonas/Joseph Edmonson, assessed value $325.
• 1872 Map of the Village has the footprint of a building, owner J. Edmonson.
• 1878 Jonas/Joseph Edmonson, assessed value $300.
• 1880 as above, assessed value $1000.
• 1881 as above, assessed value $800.
• 1884 Joseph E. Case, Administrator for "Jos." Edmonson's Estate, Lot 4 Block 1, assessed value $600.
• 1885 Mrs. Chester Coll (?), Lot 4 Block 1, assessed value $300.
• 1902 Charles and Nora Miller, Lot 4 Block 1, assessed value $500.
• 1904 Charles G. and Nora B. Miller, assessed value $550.
• 1910 C. S. Dewey?
• 1915 Martha Bixby, Lot 4, assessed value $900. The abstract for 8 E. Washington says Fred & Helen Vliet Lot 4 to Luther Hempstead in this year.
• 1919 Mrs. Frank McC ?
• 1920 "
• 1923 Luther & Annie Hempstead, Lot 4 Block 1, assessed value $1600.
• 1932 Luther Hempstead.
• 1940 as above.
• 1954 Wm. Dunston, (P.O. Box). The house was a rental at this time.
• Circa 1965 Mrs. Frederick Albert (Vera) Hubbard,Jr.
• 1985 Mrs. Lysle (Ruth E.) Basinger.