29 East Washington St.

One of Clarkston's early settlers, Arthur Davis owned this lot and the one to the east in 1846. According to the 1817-1877 History of Oakland County, Arthur had the first iron foundry in the Village in 1845. The tax records of 1846 cited an assessed value high enough to indicate commercial activity and the existence of a building or buildings on this site by then. The conclusion of this researcher is that this was the site of the foundry which used 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 of the "northeast corner of the Mill Lot" or a piece on the south side on 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 1855 tax records specifically listed a barn & shop on the south part of the property, owner Enos Church, who added a furnace to the mix. He moved the "furnace" to the southwest corner of South Main Street and Depot Road in 1860. The 1872 Map of the Village shows the foot print of a large square building, labeled "barn", on the site. Until the turn of the Twentieth Century the property was still divided between various owners. An item in the 12/01/1904 Oakland Count Post, "Hugh Green is moving from the barn which he formerly used at the corner of Wahington and Buffalo avenues to the one back of his residence on Holcomb street. Will Richardson of Pontiac it is reported will start a new livery stable in the one vacated." Later that year an item related "Clarkston's new livery barn has opened in Mrs. Scadding's barn, corner of Washington and Buffalo, with Will Richardson, a proprietor. (He is ) moving his family in the B. J. Abbey house on Main street." The original section of the house which stands on the lot now was built in 1925 in a cottage bungalow style with simple Doric column front porch supports originally. (A book of house plans available at that time, Houses by Mail, has a drawing of a house of similar style, The Ashland, page 140.) The house has seen several changes in the last forty years. The porch supports were recently added to simulate the originals which had been replaced with wrought iron. An attached garage was added about 1970. A major addition was constructed to the rear and the west of the house about 1985. Aluminum siding covers the original wood clapboard.