Walking Tour-38 East Washington Street-Walking Tour
(South Side of Street)

The site of this house was a part of the property to the west until 1926 when Lee McFarland purchased the west 40' of the east 80' of Lot 2 & the north 1/2 of Lot 3. The original section of the house was moved to this lot from the northeast corner of South Main and East Church Streets. According to Addis family lore, Ben Miller who owned this property as a part of the property of the house at 7 Buffalo, offered this piece to LeRoy Addis who lived in the house to the east, 44 E.Washington. "Roy" thought Ben's asking price was too high. "Roy" told friends he would wait until Ben lowered the price, believing the piece was too small for a house. Ben moved this house to the site rather than sell the property at a lower price to Roy. For a time this house served as the Village telephone company.

Architecturally the house is a hybrid style. The entablature with broken pediment in the gable which faces the street is typical of the Greek Revival style. The house was originally the home of Washington & Lucy Clark and one of the earliest built in the Village. The Greek Revival style was typically used for Clarkston's early buildings, if they had any architectural style at all. However, the tall slender proportion of the windows and the pointed-arch window hoods relate to the later Gothic Revival style. The bay window may be later still. Early houses were often updated with details of later styles and/or were given major additions. The prior small front porch, see picture below, was probably added after the house was moved. In 1997 a second story was added to the rear single story. In 2012, the small front porch was replaced by one more typical of the style of porch previously thought to have been on the structure.

Official Property Description:

• Part of Lot 2 & Lot 3 Block 2 of Nelson W. Clark's Original Plat of the Village in the Southeast 1/4 of Section 20 in Independence Township.
• Lot 14 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]

• 1831 United States to Butler Holcomb.
• 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...
• 1833 Butler & Mary L. Holcomb to Roswell/Roosevelt, 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 of the south part of the west 1/2 of the Southeast 1/4 of Section.
• 1842 Jeremiah Clark & wife, Polly to Nelson W. Clark, the south part of the west 1/2 of the southeast 1/4 of Section 20. Also other land.
• 1842 Nelson W. Clark's Plat of the Village.
• 1847 W. W. Rundell, Lot 2 Block 2, assessed value $45.
• 1849 G. B. & A. H. Selden, Lot 3 and Lot 2 Block 2, assessed value $105.
• 1850 G. B. & A. H. Selden Lot 2 & the north 1/2 of Lot 3 Block 2, assessed value $115.
• 1855 Enos Church Lot 2 & the north 1/2 of Lot 3, assessed value $360 (Church also had property on Block 20, for a "Furnace").
• 1857 Enos Church, as above, assessed value $300.
• 1959 as above.
• 1860 Akerd Hirst, Lot 2 & the north 1/2 of Lot 3, assessed value $350.
• 1872 Map of the Village has no building footprint, owner William H. Smith.
• 1918 Mrs. Leroy (Mary) Brown, Lot 2 & the north 1/2 of Lot 3, assessed value $1200.
• 1920 Ben Miller, Lot 2 & the north 1/2 of Lot 3 except 40' to R. Addis, assessed value $2500.
• 1925 Frank Dunston, as above, assessed value $2700.
• 1926 Frank Dunston, assessed value $2400.
  Lee McFarland, the west 40' of the east 80' of Lot 2 & the north 1/2 of Lot 3, assessed value $1800.