37 East Washington Street

The early history of this property is linked to the piece to the west and the early industry and commerce of the Village. It was a part of the parcel owned by Arthur Davis in 1846. Davis built the first iron foundry in the Village using the water from Park Lake for power. 1849 tax records listed the property under the names Clark and Davis. (They were also listed for a piece of property on the "northeast corner of the Mill Lot" or a piece on the south side of West Washington Street west of what is now an alley.) John Davis , Arthur's brother took over the foundry five years later. John Davis continued to own the north part of the property to the Lake until 1861 when it became the property of Jesse Millard. The 1872 Map of the Village has a footprint of a 58' x 70' building, a blacksmith shop, on the site. George Vliet, a wagon master, was the owner in 1861, followed by William H. Smith in 1869. At times the north 1/2 of this lot had another owner. The halves of the property were joined about 1880. The house on the site now was constructed about 1920. The Vernacular Style house was remodeled in 1956. Old photos taken at the time show the original porch which was across the west side of the first floor. The porch was removed to make way for an addition. There was a small cottage behind the house on the west property line until 1990 when it was demolished.