Walking Tour-43 South Holcomb Street-Walking Tour
(West Side of Street)

This house, a Midwestern adaptation of the Greek Revival style, was built before 1857. John Campbell, the owner then, ran the inn/tavern at 20 S. Main Street for a time.

The owner of this house about 1914-1920, Thomas L. Parker, had a business on the first floor of the old Greek Revival building which stood on the northeast corner of North Main & East Washington Sts. In 1904 Parker worked as a harness maker for John A. Mills. He was apparently instrumental in the building of the new brick building on that site. The plaque on that building, the Masonic Temple, built in 1916, has his name as well as that of Milan M. Vliet.

Parker built the small building at 3 East Washington where he conducted business in the 1920s.

This house, by 1928, was part of the property of Lida Weighell, owner/operator of Green Acres, an inn, formerly Vliet's-on-the-Hill. The inn stood on the hill to the west of this house. A Clarkston News article of 12/8 /1949 said that Mrs. Weighell, and Mr. & Mrs. Lloyd Megee, "have offered the use of the property directly back of their home ... for a transplanting and holding garden for the Clarkston Community". The purpose of the garden was to provide growing space for plant donations from area residents. "In having a reserve garden or nursery, shrubs and flowers can be given for public and private use in beautifying the Village. Everyone is urged to cooperate and plan to give something nice for the community garden in the spring so that all may benefit later."

The house passed to Lida's daughter, Jean Looker Megee & her husband Lloyd "Slip" Megee. Jean had an antique shop at 21 N. Main until her death.

The one & 1/2 story with single story wing configuration of the house is typical of small Greek Revival farmhouses in the Midwest. While there were changes made to the structure, circa 1920 & again recently, the hallmark of the original style is still seen in the wide entablature of the broken pediment in the street facing gable under the low pitched roof . The window in the street facing gable probably also dates from the 20s. The fireplace is also an addition as is the screened porch which was added to the west facade of the single story. This porch was added to the interior space in the 1990s. The recessed front porch supports were built in the early 1990s to replace badly deteriorated supports which were not original. Those supports were like those seen on wood bungalow style houses. That is, the area below the bannister was closed in with clapboard. The roof supports then rose from the bannister to the roof. They were wide at the bottom tapering as they rose. The new square pilasters are similar to others typically used on Midwestern Greek Revival style house porches. A new garage replaced two small outbuildings, one of which was a single car garage.

Official Property Description:

• Lot 1 of Block 13 of Nelson W. Clark's Original Plat in the Southwest 1/4 of Section 20 in Independence Township.
• Lot 2 Block 5 of Myron G. Cobb's Southwest Addition to the Original Plat.
• Lot 95 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]

• Note: All the properties currently located in the Historic District were originally part of a tract registered by Butler Holcomb with the federal government on October 22, 1831. Thus, abstracts for these properties, when they exist, show the original transfer to be from the United States to Butler Holcomb and may also include references to then President Andrew Jackson.
• 1842 Nelson W. Clark, Original Plat of the Village.
• 1843 Nelson W. & Phidelia Clark to Polly Clark, Blocks 13, 14, 15 & 16.
• 1844 Nelson W. Clark, Block 13, assessed value $5.
• 1848 Polly Clark, Blocks 13, 14, 15, & 16, assessed value $76.
• 1849 Polly Clark to Myron G. & Jane Cobb, Blocks 13, 14, 15 & 16.
• 1854 Cobbs Plat of the Southwest Addition.
• 1857 M. S. Ackerson, Lot 2 Block 5 of the Southwest Addition, assessed value $250.
• 1858 John Campbell, Lot 2 Block 5, assessed value $250.
• 1860 John Campbell, Lot 2 Block 5, assessed value $260,"occupied together".
• 1870 Wm. Lowrie.
• 1872 Map of the Village has a building footprint on this site, owner, Wm. Lowrie. Lot 2 Block 5, assessed value $300.
• 1877 Wm.Lowery.
• 1888 Catherine Lowery, assessed value $400.
• 1889 Catherine Lowery, assessed value $400.
• 1896 as above.
• 1904 Miss Lowery, assessed value $500. According to an item in the 7/14/1904 isse of the Oakland County Post "Thomas Parker has purchased the house on Holcomb street belonging to Miss Kate Lowrie. Mr. Parker who recently lived near has been living in Jacob Gulick's house in the southeast part of the village. He is working as a harnessmaker for John A. Mills."
• 1914 Thomas L. Parker, Lot 2 Block 5, assessed value $1050.
• 1920 T. L. Parker, as above, assessed value $1500.
• 1924 Paul R. Oven
• 1926 J. Bird.
• 1928 Lida Weighell, Lot 2 Block 5, assessed value $800.
• 1935 Lida P. Weighell,. Lot 2 Block, sssessed value $1100.
• 1950 Lida P. Weighell. Lot 95.
• 1954 Lida P. Weighell.