Caswell House (Troy, Michigan)

The Caswell House is a single family house located at 60 W. Wattles Road in Troy, Michigan in the Troy Museum and Historic Village. It is an especially well-preserved example of Greek Revival architecture.[2] It was designated a Michigan State Historic Site in 1969[2] and listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1972.[1]

Caswell House
Location60 W. Wattles Rd.,
Troy, Michigan
Coordinates42°34′40″N 83°9′3″W
Arealess than one acre
Built1832 (1832)
Built bySolomon Caswell
Architectural styleGreek Revival
NRHP reference No.72000650[1]
Significant dates
Added to NRHPJanuary 13, 1972
Designated MSHSNovember 14, 1969[2]

History

In May 1823,[3] pioneering farmer Solomon Caswell and his wife Hulda[2] moved to a farm near what is now the intersection of Big Beaver and Adams Roads, and in 1823 built a log cabin to live in.[4] In 1832, the couple built this house to replace the log cabin.[4] Huldah died in 1844, and Solomon quickly remarried to Melinda Marvin.[3] The Caswells constructed an addition to the house in 1850;[2] Solomon Caswell lived in the house until his death in 1880.[3]

After Solomon Caswell's death, his descendants continued to live in the house.[3] A porch was added in 1920.[2] Solomon Caswell's descendants occupied the house until 1965, when William Caswell, Solomon's grandson, died as a bachelor.[3] William Caswell willed the house and property to a friend, who sold it to North Hills Christian Reformed Church.[3] In 1968, the house was threatened with demolition, but the church donated the home to the Troy Historical Society, who moved to its present location and fully restored it.[2] The house is now part of the Troy Museum and Historic Village.[4]

Description

The Solomon and Hulda Caswell House is a two-story frame Greek Revival house with clapboard. The foundation is now built of concrete block faced with fieldstone. A 1-1/2 story addition is built on the rear. The front facade has a central entrance flanked with pilasters and surmounted with a heavy entablature.[2]

References
  1. "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. July 9, 2010.
  2. "Caswell House". Michigan State Housing Development Authority: Historic Sites Online. Archived from the original on August 27, 2013. Retrieved August 22, 2013.
  3. Troy Historical Society (Troy, Mich.) (2004), Troy: A City from the Corners, Arcadia Publishing, pp. 14, 118–119, ISBN 9780738533155
  4. "Caswell House". Troy Historic Village. Archived from the original on September 20, 2013. Retrieved August 22, 2013.

Further reading
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