Walking Tour Home Page-3 East Washington Street-Walking Tour
(North Side of Street)

This building was built circa 1920 by/for Thomas L. Parker. Parker had a business on the first floor of the wooden Greek Revival building which originally stood on the north east corner of North Main & East Washington St., facing Main Street. Apparently Parker built this building to house his business as the red brick Masonic Temple building was being constructed. (Note: Parker's name is on the plaque for the Masonic Temple building.) A 1921 Community News item listed Parker's business as the sale of harnesses, robes, and trunks and family shoe repair.

Charles & Edith Meyers owned the building by 1923. Meyers was Clarkston Postmaster for a time and this building served as the Post Office. The Meyerses had a tea room in this small building. A 1932 newspaper advertisement said their specialty was "steak, chop & chicken dinners." "Delicious candies" and" fountain service" were available also. (A 1921 Community News listed Charles Meyers as an undertaker. The Meyers residence was at 64 N.Holcomb. Mr. Meyers died in 1935.) Helen O'Roark, who lived next door at 7 E. Washington, was a waitress in the tea room.

Various businesses have occupied the building since: in 1941 Mrs. Lila Burns opened a 5 & 10 cent store here; Althouse Heating occupied the space in 1946; and Jack's Cleaning Service, proprietor Harold Zeplin, operated here in 1949. In the mid 1950s Byron Nolan bought the property for his Standard Oil distribution office.

In the early 1970s the building was remodeled. The two large bay windows which were on either side of a recessed front door were enclosed . The original bay windows had divided panes. Each pane measured 8" wide by 14" high. The bays tapered toward the sidewalk. Grey asbestos shingles covered the building. When the bays were enclosed the entire building was covered with aluminum siding. The building was again remodeled in the early 1990s.

The building served two uses in the early 1970s. The front half was used for retail space while an apartment occuppied the back half. The building was sold in the late 1970s when the apartment was removed and the entire space was converted to office use.

Official Property Description:

• The southwest corner of the east 1/2 of Lot 9 Block of Nelson W. Clark's Original Plat in the Southeast 1/4 of Section 20 in Independence Township.
• Lot 38 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.
• 1832 Butler Holcomb, the Northeast 1/4 , the Southeast 1/4 , the east 1/2 of the Northwest 1/4 and the east 1/2 of the Southwest 1/4 of Section 20 in Independence Township.
• 1833 Butler & Mary L. Holcomb to Roswell/Roosevelt Holcomb , the west 1/2 of the Northeast 1/4 and the west 1/2 of the Southeast 1/4 of Section 20.
• 1835 Butler Holcomb to Jeremiah Clark, the south part of the west 1/2 of the Southeast 1/4 of Section 20.
• 1839 Jeremiah Clark to Nelson W.Clark, one equal undivided 1/2 of the south part of the west 1/2 of the Southeast 1/4 of Section 20.
• 1842 Nelson W. Clark's Plat of the Village.
• 1856 George W. Swift, 20' x 27' on the southwest corner of the west 1/2 of Lot 9 Block 19, assessed value $25. See tax records for 1 East Washington & 6 N. Main regarding this Lot.
• 1872 Map of the Village has 2 building footprints of the west side of the west 1/2 of Lot 9 while there is no building footprint on the east 1/2 of Lot 9 , owner S. N. Snell. The 1908 Map of the Village also has two building footprints on the west side of the lot bordering North Main Street. No building footprint appears on the site of this building.
• 1914 G. B. Fleming, the east 1/2 of Lots 5, 6 & 9, assessed value $1400.
• 1917 T. L. Parker, land bound on the north & east by Fleming, south by the Street, west by Leonard, assessed value $600.
  Frank Leonard, the north 35' of the west 1/2 of Lot 9 & the east 20' of the west 1/2
  G. B. Fleming, north by Park Lake, east by Smith, west by Parker, Leonard & Brown, assessed value $1200.
• 1920 T. L. Parker, as above, assessed value $800.
• 1923 Charles & Edith Meyers, as above, assessed value $800.
• 1925 Charles & Edith Meyers, 31' on Washington, assessed value $1200.
• 1927 Charles & Edith Meyers, 31' x 52', assessed value $1200.
• 1928 Charles & Edith Meyers, beginning at a point on the south line of Lot 9 Block 19, 5' east of the southwest corner of the east 1/2 of said Lot 9, then north parallel to the east line of Lot 9, 52', then east 26', then south 52' to Washington Street, then west 26'.
• 1950 Edgar Carvey, assessed value $1200.
• 1954 Edgar Carvey.
• 1956 Byron Nolan.