Walking Tour-59 South Main Street-Walking Tour
(West Side of Street)

The house which presently stands on this site was built in 1903 for Dr. Clark Sutherland. He first lived in a house at the back of the Lot of 21 South Main before the Township Hall was constructed. At that time his office was on the second story of a wooden building on the east side of South Main St., now the site of the "Brick Block" (14, 16 and 18 S. Main historically). This new house at 59 South Main became Sutherland's home and office. An item in The Oakland Post, 6/18/1903 noted, "Workmen are putting a Peninsular Furnace in Dr. C. J. Sutherland's new residence in course of building. (A 4/10/1902 article noted that Dr. Sutherland had purchased a "fine Vose piano". Other newspaper items discussing programs in the "Opera Hall" cited Dr. Sutherland repeatedly for his solos.) Martha, "Auntie", Plumb, who lived next door at 69 S. Main, often accompanied the doctor on " birthing calls."

Originally, the home was a Queen Anne style building with diamond-paned windows, multiple roof gables, shaped shingles and a wrap-around porch. According to an item in the 8/25/1904 issue of The Oakland Post, "Frank Beardsley (was) putting on a new porch on the front and side of Dr. Sutherland's residence on Main Street." The porch, seen in an old photo, left, was removed before a 1970's remodeling.

After Dr. Sutherland's death the house was sold and converted to apartment use. The house was again remodeled, in 1975/76, to accommodate boutique businesses with a small restaurant in the basement. The building was later converted to house apartments again.

Historically, property assessments seem to indicate that there were buildings on this site, probably at least as early as 1850. The 1872 Map of the Village has the footprint of a building on each lot (4,5, & 6) of this site. Lots 4 & 5 belonged to William Axford, one of Clarkston's early merchants. The building on Lot 5 may have been his residence. Nelson Abbey, a physician, owned lot 6, where he may have had his residence. Both men also owned other parcels in the area at the time.

Official Property Description:

• Lots 4, 5, and 6 Block 26 of Nelson W. Clark's Original Plat of the Village in the Southwest 1/4 of Section 20 in Independence Township.
• Lot 70 of the Assessors 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.
• 1844 Taylor H. Stewart, Lot 5 Block 26, assessed value $100. James Barlett, Lot 6 Block 26, assessed value $75.
• 1846 Taylor H. Stewart, Lot 5 Block 26, assessed value $90.
• 1847 "Tailor" H. Stewart, Lot 5, assessed value $80 and Lot 6 Block 26, assessed value $80.
• 1850 Wm. & John Axford, Lot 5, assessed value $200. Nelson Abbey, Lot 6, assessed value $135.
• 1855 Wm. Axford, Lot 5, assessed value $450. Nelson Abbey, Lot 6, assessed value $450.
• 1870 Wm. Axford, assessed value $400. N. Abbey, assessed value $450.
• 1889 Eleu C. Axford, Estate, assessed value $600. (?) N. J. Abbey, assessed value $250.
• 1891 S. H. Albertson, Lot 4, assessed value $50, & Lot 5, assessed value $600.
• 1900 Mrs. O. Jacox, Lot 4, assessed value $50, & Lot 5, assessed value $500.
• 1902 Manley Bower, Lot 6 Block 26, assessed value $100.
• 1903 The year the house was built. 1903 C. J. Sutherland, Lot 4, assessed value $50, Lot 5, assessed value $300, and Lot 6, assessed value $450.
• 1904 C. J. Southerland, Lots 4, 5, & 6, assessed value $1,600.
• 1938 C. J. Sutherland. According to "As We Remember It", the building was sold in this year for apartments.