Walking Tour-28 South Main Street-Walking Tour
(East Side of Street)

A service station has occupied this corner for almost seventy years. The first building on this site was the home of Washington Clark, a son of Jeremiah Clark. Washington was born May 14, 1818 and died in 1854 at the age of 36. The property passed to Lucy Clark. W. L. Clark owned the property as early as 1846. According to the tax records of 1847 the assessed value of the site rose $100 to $125 in the intervening year, high enough to suggest that there was a building of some kind here by then. The value doubled in the next two years indicating major improvements on the property. 1857 tax records specifically cited a house, shop and barn on this parcel. The house was moved to a lot at 38 E. Washington St. in 1926, clearing the Main Street property for the Seeterlin Brothers Service Station and car dealership. They operated here, owning the building to the east also, until 1949 when they moved to a new building south of the Village on the corner of U. S. 10 and M -15. The Seeterlins sold the 3 East Church St. building in the same year to Independence Township for use as a fire hall. In 1935, Samuel Morgan bought the west 65' of this site, Lot 10 Block 1, the "City Service" gas station portion of the property. In 1997, the Fire Hall was moved to Citation Drive, outside Village /City limits. The 3 East Church Street building was sold to Morgan and the service station was expanded. The gasoline pumps were removed from the Main St. site and the building was repainted.

Official Property Description:

• The west part of Lot 10 Block 1 of Nelson W. Clark's Original Plat of the Village in the Southeast 1/4 of Section 20 in Independence Township.
• Lot 57 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.
• 1846 Washington Clark, Lot 10 Block 1, assessed value $25
• 1847 Washington Clark, Lot 10 Block 1, assessed value $125.
• 1848 Washington Clark, Lot 10 Block 1, assessed value $215.
• 1849 Washington Clark, Lot 10 Block 1, assessed value $250.
• 1850 Washington Clark, as above.
• 1854 Washington Clark died.
• 1855 Lucy Clark, Lot 10 Block 1, assessed value $300.
• 1857 Lucy Clark, Lot 10, assessed value $480, "House, shop, and barn".
• 1872 Map of the Village has the footprints of the buildings on the site at the time, owner, Lucy Clark.
• 1889 Peter Green, assessed value $800
• 1904 Peter Green, Lot 10 Block 1, assessed value $900 (48'x 82 1/2' off the northeast corner of Block 26).
• 1910 Mable Ellis, assessed value $100.
• 1915 Mable Ellis, assessed value $100.
• 1924 Mrs. Frank Oberheim, assessed value $170.
• 1925 house moved to 38 E. Washington.
• 1928 Seeterlin Bros.
• 1930 Seeterlin Bros., Lot 10 Block 1, assessed value $2900 (was crossed out & $5800 was written in.)
• 1931 Seeterlin Bros., the east 89 1/2' of Lot 10, assessed value $3500. & the west 65' of Lot 10, assessed value $2000.
• Richard and Leslie Morgan took over the Cities Service Super Station after the resignation of C. W. Merrill.
• 1935 Seeterlin Bros., the east 100' of Lot 10 Block 1, except the east 11.5' which was used as an alley, assessed value $3100. City Service, the west 65' of Lot 10, assessed value $2100.
• 1936 Samuel Morgan, the west 65' of Lot 10 Block 1.
• 1955 Rockwell's City Service.

  1957 Richard Morgan returned to the station.