Picture of 24 East Washington Street

Walking Tour-24 East Washington Street-Walking Tour
(South Side of Street)

This early Greek Revival was built circa 1855, but has seen several changes since.

The original section of this house was built circa 1855 in the Midwestern adaptation of the Greek Revival style. The entablature with broken pediment gable is at right angles to East Washington street. This orientation is also seen at the neighboring houses of 7 & 8 E. Washington. The molding of the entablature of the 24 E. Washington Street house is more elaborate than those seen on the other two houses indicating a slightly later construction date. The street facing facade received the addition of a dining room & front porch at the turn of the century.

John Harvey & Elizabeth Dresser owned the house from 1857 until Mr. Dresser's death at the turn of the century. John was born in Dresserville, New York, in 1825. He came to Clarkston to teach returning to New York in the summer to work as a captain on an Erie Canal barge. After marrying Elizabeth Vliet, he became a permanent resident of the Village, first operating a store in 1860 with Dr. Horace Robinson in the first floor of the Greek Revival building on the northeast corner of North Main & East Washington Streets. He then ran the inn/tavern on South Main for a short time until he became an insurance agent in a wooden building where the Clarkston Bank now stands.

At one time there was probably a front porch across the entire front, a late Victorian /Queen Anne style update. Subsequently 1/2 of the porch was enclosed to increase interior living space. The single paneled front door and the wide surround are typical of the Greek Revival style and may be seen on other Michigan houses.

Picture of 24 East Washington Street Second Story Addition

The single story south wing was altered in 1919 and again in 1947. A door to the yard on the southwest corner of the first floor, which was probably not original to the structure, was removed in the 1980s. The French doors on the west facade of the single story were added when the center section of the single story wing was reconstructed, adding a second story over it and the garage, and the interior floor plan was altered.


Official Property Description:


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]

Site Conceived By And Grant Funding Obtained By
Mollie Lynch, Library Director 1991-2005
Researched And Written By Susan K. Basinger
Web Pages Designed And Built By Bill And Susan Basinger
Contents ©2000 Independence Township Library
All Rights Reserved