Tour of Historic homes

We had such fun Saturday afternoon!  The nearby villages of Lamont and Eastmanville (about 5 minutes from my house) had a tour of historic homes. The small villages of Lamont and Eastmanville are  next to each other on the Grand River.  At one time they were very busy places because of their location on the river.  Riverboats made regular stops, and there were hotels, factories and stores built.  Wealthy people built beautiful houses along the shore.  When the riverboat traffic stopped and the railroad traffic went to the north, the villages became quiet little communities.  However, some of the historic houses remain.
The Civic Association set up the tour of homes to raise money for a new community park.  There were 7 homes that participated and we saw all of them.  They asked that photos not be taken inside the homes, but I did take pictures of the exterior of each home to share with you.

The Menning home was built sometime between 1861-1863.  It was left vacant for a number of years and was quite deteriorated when the present owners purchased it in 1969.  They had major repairs to do, including lifting the foundation.  This house is beautiful on the outside, but we weren't too excited about the inside. It looked like they started fixing it up in the 70's and it was still stuck in that era.  However, the widows peak on the top was really neat to see out of.  There was a built in bench to sit and look out of the windows and you could see for miles.

This is the Stoel house.  It's not a fancy house like the last one, but a typical old farmhouse from 100 years ago.  The present owners bought it a year ago and are in the process of a complete gutting and renovation.  During the process of removing drywall, they found a hidden staircase!  The inside is looking beautiful and I have a feeling the outside will soon be a work in progress too.

This is the Katerberg home.  It was built in 1880.  The house has been completely remodeled and is beautiful inside.  There is a large dining room that has all windows on 2 sides and a beautiful view.

The man who owns this house is an artist, and this little building by the pond is his studio.

The Shrock home was built in 1838.  It was originally built on the riverbank and was used as a general store and ticket office for riverboat passage.  After the Civil War it was hauled by horses up the hill to it's present location to serve as a private residence.  The current owners have been restoring the house to reflect the time of it's construction and walking into it feels like stepping back in time.  It's filled with antiques and has the original wide planked wood floors.  Even the kitchen looks old, but we found that the old stove, was actually very modern, but disguised  to look like an antique!

This home was built in 1904 and was vacant for 6 years before the present owners bought it.  It has been completely renovated over the past 2 years.  I love the wrap around porch!

This home was built in 1851 and was originally the parsonage of the Congregational church.  It's been enlarged and beautifully renovated with much of the original woodwork remaining.

Look at the gorgeous view from this home.  The river doesn't show up in this picture but it's winding through those trees.

 

This is the back of the house.  You can see the addition, with the stonework that matches the original house.

 

This home was my favorite from the tour.  It was built in 1841 by Dr  and Mrs Timothy Eastman, who moved to  Michigan Territory from Boston.  They raised 9 children in this house and the village of Eastmanville got it's name from this family.  It's said that Abraham Lincoln slept in this home when he came down the river in 1856 campaigning for the presidency.
This home was also featured in Better Homes and Gardens in 1951.


                                                                                             

The back of the house, showing all the windows that provide beautiful views of the river.

 

The view from the back yard.

Even the garage of this house is charming!

We thoroughly enjoyed this tour of homes.  It really showed the charm and interest that can be found in older homes.