Walking Tour-14 South Main Street-Walking Tour
(East Side of Street)

14 S. Main was the address of one of the four storefronts which were part of the "Brick Block", the building constructed in 1928 to replace the four wooden buildings on the site destroyed by fire in 1927. Several businesses occupied this space until 1990 when this section became a part of the Clarkston Cafe space. Phillip's Gun & Rod Shop did business here in 1953, followed in 1954 by Ouellette's Beauty Shop then, by 1960, Leeta's Beauty Shop. The space has also housed a dry cleaners, law office, & florist before becoming a part of the Clarkston Cafe in 1988.

Historically this site may have been that of John & William Axford's store, reportedly the first in Clarkston. 1852 tax records cited John Axford for Lots 5 & 6 "occupied together for a store and dwelling". The house was at 20 Buffalo Street. John's property passed to Henry T.Hirst, co-owner of the Clarkston mill for a time, by 1867. While there was no building footprint shown on the 1872 map of the Village, it is not known what happened to any early building which tax record assessed values seem to indicate once stood here. One of a pair of false front buildings occupied this site by 1900, see photos, Heritage, pg. 46. These buildings burned in the fire of 1927.

Official Property Description:

• The south part of Lot 3 & the north part of Lot 6 Block 1 in the Southeast 1/4 of Section of Independence Township Part of Lot 54 of the Assessor's Plat
• Independence Township Tax Record Synopsis
  See 12 S. Main tax info for the history of the south part of Lot 3 Block 1.

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).
• 1844 William S. Blake, the south 1/2 of Lot 3 Block 1, assessed value $70. Jeremiah Clark, Lot 6 Block 1, assessed value $5.
• 1846 William S. Blake, the south 1/2 of Lot 3 Block 1.
• 1847 William and John Axford, Lot 6 Block 1, assessed value $100.
  William S. Blake, 10' of Lot 3 Block 1, assessed value $20.
  John G. Owen, the south 1/2 of Lot 3, assessed value $6.
• 1848 John G. Owen, the south 1/2 of Lot 3, assessed value $107.
  William and John Axford, Lot 6 Block 1, assessed value $170.
• John G. Owen, the north 1/2 of the south 1/2 of Lot 3, Block1, assessed value $95.
  Horatio Forster, the west 1/2 of Lot 3 Block 1, assessed value $93.
• 1852 John Axford, Lots 5 & 6 "occupied together for store and dwelling".
• 1860 as above
• 1867 H. T. Hirst, Lots 5 & 6 Block 1 assessed value $1000.
• 1870 H. T. Hirst, Lots 5 & 6 except 12'x75' from the southwest corner. assessed value $750
• 1872 Map of the Village shows no building footprint
• 1881 C. Bowers, 26' off the north side of Lot 6 Block 1 assessed value $1200
• 1904 Ed. Urch dry goods
• 1910 as above
• 1914 C. Bowers Est.,on Lot 6 Block 1 north by Urch, south by Jossman assessed value $800
• 1915 C. Bowers, the north 22'of the west 1/2 of Lot 6 Block 1.
• 1926 Wm. Peterwell, north by Crosby & Teggerdine, south by J. B. Landi, east by Howland assessed value $1400.
• 1927 The building, one of four, burned
• 1932 F. Howland