Grand Rapids herald. [volume] (Grand Rapids, Mich.) 1892-1959, 1892-08-28
HOMES OF THE PAST
Some Of the Landmarks Of the
OIden Time
STILL SURVIVE The STORMS
The Chain OF Fulton Street Homssteads.
The Haunted House Occupied BY
& Litter OF Pigs


The Haunted House Occupied BY
g Litter OF Pigs.
Every city his IT'S old homes which
serve as landmarks 10 the younger gen
eranoEs aud By whose gateway the old
settler cannot pass without being a.
most overcome by a Hood Of tender
rec0lieet.Ons. Built al an early period
OF municipal lie, they bear the ear
marks OF pioneer days, the days when
corn bread snd potatoes baked n the
ashes we're consid cred dellc&cles. Men
OF young and even middle age nave no
conception OF the puyation endured by
their parents ana grand parents IN the
years when Michigan Was considered
the extreme west and an OK team was
treasured as means of rapid transit.
The changes which occur SO often with
the cIviliAng effect OF Il rapidly lncrees-
ing community nave nearly swept cut
Of existence the primitive homes which
once were considered fair ornaments
OF the then little village OF Grand Rap
IDS. Ia cOnveTslng with reporter Tor
1 The Herald yesterday, W. y. Cook,
or Newt Cook, as he is famlllarly
called by the old settlers, related much
OF interest n regard 10 some OF the
early homes.
Ayers rrysting Place.
The Tralick house, he SAID, which is
now being repaired was built as early
/ 49, A g. Of Mr.
/ l.. A. Alger. Ii was a PLAIN wooden
structure, the brick front having been
/ added five or SIX years afterward. The
house stood IN the midst of oak open
/ lngs and where Fulton street park is
/ now laid out there were few oak and
/ hickory trees. In this house General
/ Alger courted his sweetheart, pretty
/ Miss Annetta Henry, and they were
married IN So or '5i with much pomp
/ and splendor. There was a double
wedding, Eben Smith and Miss Carrie
| Bird beng the other happy couple.
| During the days when the general,
| then an obscure lawyer, was paying at
| tentlon to Miss Aunetta, all the wise
1 heads IN the town decided that she was
/ making a very poor match. They
/ thought Russell would never amount
I ~ n i44AA VI UtdllS, anu NllSAl A4Ao OAAANC
was closed out on chattel mortgage
/ they were sure OF It. Later his debts
1 pressed so hard that his brides trunks
were attached when they were about to
! depart on their wedding Journey.
There were plenty of al told you So
/ but as he laughs best VINO laughs last,
/ the general has undoubtedly smiled
/ many times over his early and turbu-
] L.. r. .Fl
/ place TO the late Henry Frallck after
the war, and with MINOR improvements
1t now remains practically the same as
when the brick front was added.
The Kingsbury Place.
Immediately west of the Fralick
| place, where the Nendome now stands,
/ ;. O. Kingsbury, father of the late
/ Mrs. NJ. A. TInkham, built home and
lived there many years. Still farther
west on the corner of Fulton and
| South Division streets, where the
Grand Rapids Saving bank now stands
| James Watson, IN 1910, built a home
/ that for the time was very fine indeed.
1t was entirely of wood, and the car
| penter work was of so superior quail.
ity that 1t was paid for at the rate OF
s. per day. Mr.. Watson lived there
| only short time then sold to Lowell
! Moore, a prominent lawyer and justice
of the peace for many years, who oc.
| cupied II up u the time of his death
/ The house now stands on South DlvI
sion street near Fifth avenue, and is
| owned by Byron Morrison. The next
/ house Duilt on the south side of Fulton
street east of Division street was
Deacon Stones house. which still
stands and IS occupied at the corner Of
Lagrave street. Erastus Hall built i
in 1915. Then the Rood and Buchanan
homes were built. The original homes
were exceedingly primitive and still
exist today though substantial I'M
prOvements have been added from
time to time. Judge Morrison then
built small house Just west of thu
Rood place, aud later c. b. Alien bull
home on the corner. Both these
houses were torn down to make way
for the elegant new home which tn,
late Mai. A. b. Watson built.
other Fulton Street Homes.
Then there was little house on tn,
l.. d. Putnam property on Sheldon
street and the house still stands having
been removed to the lot between tn,
Barth and Amburg homes. II wa
built by Jules Merriam french patterI
maker who lived here as early as 40
The population at that time did no
exceed 1000 and the principal industry
was mechanics and lumber. Thes'
buildings with one other were all tina
stood IN that vicinity for some time
Further east on Fulton street L. 5
Wendall built a home where Mrs
Robert Sinclair row resides. Mr.
Wcndall was a merchant but he became
dlssatltied with the outlook here anC
returned TO Detroit. This hous
was built In Is and after Mr.. Wendal
left Circuit Judge Mundy moved int
It. IL was afterwart burned by a tir'
Supposed 20 be incendiary started 70
the purpose Of destroying valuable
papers IN n criminal case. Il was quit,
preteutlous house. Ca the lot wher
the Geo. ". Gay residence nov stand
r. Is. BOstwics tudt home IN 1910
Mr.. B0stwick wss prominent publ
man and was once 4 candidate for lieu
tenant governor on the wing ticket
lie vas defeated and when the g0l,
fever struck the town i'm 1850 In com
Vauy with Canton smith and others h'
started across the plains for Cahfornii
bat died 81 the cholera ~ Plum Creel
Valley. west Of Fort Laramie
Previous 20 the California trip Ir
Bostwick had sold the place 20 ioui
. Canaan VIM lived rg Il many wears