Walking Tour-8 East Washington Street-Walking Tour Home Page
(South Side of Street)

The 1&1/2 story section of this circa 1848 house was one of the earliest Village buildings constructed as a very simple Greek Revival style structure. This house and the one across the street, 7 East Washington were owned by some of Clarkston's earliest craftsmen/residents. This was apparently the home of Phillip and Sarah Foy by 1848. Phillip Foy with partner, Clarkston's first blacksmith, Albert Birdsell built a shop, to the west of this house on the southeast corner of South Main and East Washington Streets, reportedly in 1840, to manufacture fanning mills. Foy sold the house in 1856 and it changed hands several times until 1904 when it became the home of blacksmith, Frank Yeager/Yager, son of another early Clarkston blacksmith Jedediah Yeager/Yager. The ancestor's of Frank and wife "Smithie" Yeager continued to own the home until 1963. ( See 2/21/1974 Clarkston News article by Constance Lektizian re: Frank Yeager )

Frank had a blacksmith shop with his father, then, on his own, on the southeast corner of South Main and East Church Streets. He also did work in a barn which stood on the southeast corner of the residential property. This barn was at the end of a "road" which led south from Washington Street between 8 and 24 East Washington. This barn was on the property as early as 1845 when harness maker, Horatio Foster, Jr. ( who had property to the south of Foy's) shared road rights to the barn. ( Several others after Foster enjoyed these road rights.) The results of early craftmen's labors, horseshoes, bits, handmade nails are still found on the property.

Mr. Yeager stands on the left of the house in this circa 1900 . At the time there were two front doors next to one another barely visible under the late Victorian front porch. One of the front doors opened into the family parlor, while the other was to be used by guests who entered the "Sunday parlor ". The front porch was added to the simple Greek Revival house to update it. Such porches were added to many earlier houses in the style of the popular, picturesque of the Queen Anne style porches. ( The front porch and the easternmost front door were removed at some time prior to the 1960s.) The bay window and the wing on the west were also probably added at the same time as the front porch. The windows of the bay and the addition have later Victorian proportions ( tall, slender ) while the windows in the original portion of the house have Greek Revival proportions. On the interior there is a plastered domed ceiling in the dining room, one of several domed ceilings in Village houses, probably added about the turn of the century.

The house was vacant for about three years until it was purchased in 1963 and renovation began slowly. In 1976 as addition was constructed to the east facade. While the front door is old the surround is a replication of those typical of other Greek Revival style houses. The original trim had been removed, probably at the same time the porch was removed. All of the outbuildings were constructed by the current owner.

Official Property Description:

• The east part of Lot 2, the west part of Lot 1 and 21' x 80' of the northeast corner of Lot 3 Block 1 of Nelson W. Clark's Original Plat in the Southeast 1/4 of Section 20 in Independence Township
• Lot 50 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.
• 1832 Butler Holcomb, the Northeast 1/4, the Southeast 1/4, the east 1/2 of the northwest 1/4 of the Southwest 1/4 of Section 20.
• 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 half on the south part of the west 1/2 of the Southeast 1/4 of Section.
• 1842 Nelson W.Clark's Plat of the Village.
• 1843 Jeremiah & Polly Clark and Nelson W. & Phidelia Clark to William S.Blake and Horatio Foster, Lot 3 Block 1 except 3' off the south side.
• 1844 Jeremiah and Nelson W.Clark to Phillip, land commencing at a point 4' west of the northwest corner of "Foy's Shop", then east 10 rods; south 4 rods; west 10 rods; north 4 rods to the place of beginning on Lot 2 Block 1.
• 1848 Thomas and Loisa Chapple to John Derrick, the west 1/2 of Lot 1 Block 1. Then Derrick to Philip Foy, as above. (Horatio Foster had the south part of the west 1/2 of Lot 2 and road rights.)
• 1848 Phillip and Sarah Foy, the west 1/2 of Lot 1 , assessed value $100 (and the road from E.Washington Street south to the barn in the southeast corner of Lot 1.) Also the east 1/2 of Lot 2 Block, assessed value $200.
• 1849 Phillip Foy, Lot 2 Block 1, except 24' x 44' in the southwest corner, assessed value $155, and the west 1/2 of Lot 1 Block 1, assessed value $16.
• 1850 Philip Foy, Lot 2 Block 1, except 24'x 44' in the southwest corner-sold to Horatio Foster (means southeast corner?), assessed value $290.
• 1856 Philip & Margaret Foy to Calvin Mills, the east 1/2 of Lot 2 Block 1 and the west 1/2 of Lot 1 Block 1 (with an exception) and rights to the road to the barn.
• 1860 Calvin & Lovisa Mills to Robert Perry, the east 1/2 of Lot 2 Block 1, and the west 1/2 of Lot 1 Block 1 (with exceptions) and road rights.
• 1863 Robert and Fanny Perry to Aaron Y. Clough, as above.
• 1864 Clough to John Ross, as above.
• 1868 John and Margaret J./S. Ross to Reuben N. "Clarke",
• 1869 John Ross died.
• 1875 Reuben N. & Elizabeth Clark to Margaret S. Green, the east 1/2 of Lot 2 on Block 1 and the west 1/2 of Lot 1 Block 1 (with exceptions) & road rights.
• 1879 Margaret S. & Calvin A. Green divorced.
• 1886 Margaret S. Ross to Watson Beardslee, the east 1/2 of Lot 2 Block and the west 1/2 of Lot 1 Block (with exceptions) & road rights.
• 1890 Watson & Mary E. Beardslee to Frank Yager , as above.
• 1904 Frank Yeager/Yager, Lot 3 Block 1, assessed value $700.
  The west 1/2 of Lot 2 Block 8 except 8' off the south side, assessed value $400.
  A piece off the southeast corner of the west 1/2 of Lot Block 1, assessed value $50.
• 1919 Frank & Smithie Yeager/Yager a joint deed with George A.Brown.
• 1936 Frank Yeager/Yager died.
• 1940 Julia M. Yeager, guardian of Frederick F. Yeager. The west 66.5' of Lot 1, Block 1. The east 8.5' of the west 75' of the south 20' of Lot 1 Block 1, and the east 1/2 of Lot 2, Block 1, or Lot 50 of the Assessor's Plat.
• 1941 Frederick Yeager/Yager to Julia M. Yeager, as above.
• 1964 Lysle and Ruth Basinger