The Smith House is a private house located at 113-115 Prospect Street in

Vassar, Michigan Vassar is a city in Tuscola County in the U.S. state of Michigan. Founded March 1, 1849. The population was 2,727 at the 2020 census and 2,697 in 2010 (an increase of about 1.1%). The city is located on the western edge of Vassar Township but is ...

. It was listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...

in 1972.

History

Joshua D. Smith was born at

Sackets Harbor, New York Sackets Harbor (earlier spelled Sackett (surname), Sacketts Harbor) is a village in Jefferson County, New York, United States, on Lake Ontario. The population was 1,450 at the 2010 census. The village was named after land developer and owner Augus ...

in 1821. His parents moved to

Michigan Michigan ( ) is a peninsular U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest, Upper Midwestern United States. It shares water and land boundaries with Minnesota to the northwest, Wisconsin to the west, ...

in 1825. In 1850, Smith moved to a location about south of what is now Vassar. In 1851 he moved to this location and had this house constructed, the first frame house in Vassar. The house was built for Smith by James Saunders, another Vassar pioneer. Smith remained in this house and engaged in locating land, farming, and manufacturing until his death in 1883. In 1908, the house was purchased by Howard and Clara Smith (no relation to Joshua D.), who turned the house into a two-family home. In 1914, four porches (two in the front and two in the rear) were added to the house, along with a den, cellar, a new kitchen, and two bathrooms. The Smiths passed it on to their son Howard L. Smith. Howard Smith occupied the house as of 1977. It was later passed on to Harry Smith and his wife Shirley.

Description

The Smith House is a 1-1/2 story house with a tower-like structure on one side. It is constructed of fine corkpine, a native of the Vassar area. The house has a gabled roof, with a partial hip roof on the front and a gabled dormer on the wing. The exterior is painted white and trimmed in green, with plainly trimmed windows. The front porches are supported with square columns. The interior contains a living room, downstairs bedroom, dining room, and kitchen, and bedrooms upstairs, which are all original construction. A den, cellar, a new kitchen, and two bathrooms were added in 1914. The interior is in excellent condition, and contains a beautiful staircase.

References

{{National Register of Historic Places National Register of Historic Places in Tuscola County, Michigan Houses completed in 1851