Walking Tour-25 South Main Street-Walking Tour
(West Side of Street)

Photos, circa 1900, show four wooden buildings on the sites of 23, 25 & 27 S. Main which were originally a part of the Clarkston mill property. At the turn of the century this property was owned by Manley Bower who apparently also did business in a store north of the Nelson House, which stood on the northwest corner of North Main and West Washington Streets. Bower operated a "peddling wagon" in the summer, as did Frank Walter.

The Village Hall & Fire Engine House was built on this site in 1925. In 1933, after the two wooden buildings on the southwest corner of S. Main & W. Washington St. burned, Harvey Demond moved his surviving equipment here and opened a barbershop in front of the Village Council rooms. Ronk's Barbershop opened here in 1954, remodeling in 1956. The barber shop occupied the north section of the building with the fire & police department behind. The Village offices used the south 1/2 of the building until a new facility was built on Depot Rd. The Main Street building was later sold returning to commercial use as Country Greens, a florist, plant, and home accessories shop.

Official Property Description:

• North 1/2 of Lot 3 Block 25 of Nelson W. Clark's Original Plat of the Village in the Southwest 1/4 of Section 20 in Independence Township.
• Lot 75 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.
• 1847 Jeremiah & Nelson W. Clark, Mill property, assessed value $2000.
• 1849 Nelson W. Clark & Abraham Houghtelin, Lots 2 & 4 Block 25, "last description is'Known' as the Mill Property", assessed value $1900.
• 1868 Hurst/Hirst & Stiff-part of Clarkston Mill property.
• 1871 N. A. (Nelson A.) Abbey.
• 1890 P. J. (Phoebe J.) Abbey, assessed value $100.
• 1898 Manley Bower, assessed value $100 (Heritage says it was sold to DeMund in this year.)
• 1902 Manley Bower, north by M. A. Root estate, east by the Street, south by H. H. Howe, west by J. Linabury, assessed value $200.
• 1903 Manley Bower, assessed value $200.
• 1914 John Coon. An article from the Daily Press, Pontiac circa 1903 -"G. F. Coon and Son", at the second door...G. F. Coon and son moved into Clarkston from Pontiac...purchased the stock of A. R. Carran." (Note, was this the east side of Main Street ?)
• 1909 Mrs. Bellarby, assessed value $300.
• 1911 Clarence Drake, assessed value $350.
• 1914 Clarence Drake, assessed value $600.
• 1915 James Urch, assessed value $500.
• 1920 James Urch, north by W. O. Clark, east by Main, south & west by Garter, assessed value $10.
• 1921 D. E. Davis, north by W. O. Clark, east by Main, south & west by Garter, assessed value $500.
• 1924 D. E. Davis, assessed value $800.
• 1925 Village Property, Fire Engine House.
• 1933 Village Town Hall. Harvey Demond opened a barbershop in front of the Village Council rooms accordin to a Clarkston News item, 8/25/39.
• 1954 Village Hall & Ronk's Barbershop.