Walking Tour-91 North Main Street-Walking Tour
(West Side of Street)

This house was built in 1882 for Mr. & Mrs. Henry H. Howe. Henry & business partner/brother, James, were also owners of the brick building at 5 S. Main when it was built. Architecturally, the house is a late Victorian compilation of styles. The roof of the entrance appears to have been inspired by the Mansard roof popular in France (Note: another Clarkston house, 39 S. Main St., had a Mansard roof. See photo, page 58, Heritage. The house burned in 1950.) The trim of the porch on the south side matches that in the eaves of the second story and is apparently the original style. These details and the placement of them, that is brackets under the eaves, seem reminiscent of the Italian Revival style.

The existing front porch was designed by a Birmingham architect in the late 1950s for the current owners. The design was based on the design of the porch on the south side which was thought to be original. When the current owners bought the house the front porch did not match the design of that side porch. An old photo shows the Queene Anne porch, with turned spindles & posts, which was probably added by the Ben Millers as an updated style. The Millers also installed the front doors which were reportedly taken from the home of Elisha Clark after it was destroyed by fire. Beyond the doors the front stairway is a lovely spiral. The Millers converted the back woodshed and washroom into a kitchen and bath in 1927.

The current owners added a greenhouse on the second floor, the oriel window and extended the bath on the north side in 1966. Recently the original cellar doors near the south side porch were removed and the roof of the porch was raised to just below the second story windows

Official Property Description:

• The north Part of Lot 1 Block 24 & Jefferson St., Part of Nelson W. Clark's Original Plat of the Village in theSouthwest 1/4 of Section 20 in Independence Township.
• Lot 25 of the Supervisor's Replat of the Northwestern Addition & part of the Original 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.
• See property history for 71 N. Main prior to 1872.
• 1872 Map of the Village has no building footprint, only two horozontal lines are noted on this site at the time.
• 1881 Leman W. Allen & Tena A. Allen to Henry H. Howe, 66', assessed value $250.
• 1882 Hiram & Elizabeth Sibley to Nelson Walter, 68 1/2'.
• 1883 Nelson & Mary J. Walter to Henry H. Howe, 34 & 1/2', assessed value $1200.
• 1888 Henry J. & Emma J. Howe to Mrs. Ann Foster.
• 1896 Map of the Village, owner Ann Foster.
• 1902 Ann Foster died. Clara S. Foster became the property owner.
• 1929 Benjamin F. & Leda M. Miller.
• 1946 Ben Miller died.
• 1954 Wm. D. & Irene M. Daley.