8 East Washington St.

The 1&1/2 story section of this circa 1848 house was one of the earliest Village buildings constructed as a very simple Greek Revival style structure. This house and the one across the street, 7 East Washington were owned by some of Clarkston's earliest craftsmen/residents. This was apparently the home of Phillip and Sarah Foy by 1848. Phillip Foy with partner, Clarkston's first blacksmith, Albert Birdsell built a shop, to the west of this house on the southeast corner of South Main and East Washington Streets, reportedly in 1840, to manufacture fanning mills. Foy sold the house in 1856 and it changed hands several times until 1904 when it became the home of blacksmith, Frank Yeager/Yager, son of another early Clarkston blacksmith Jedediah Yeager/Yager. The ancestor's of Frank and wife "Smithie" Yeager continued to own the home until 1963. ( See 2/21/1974 Clarkston News article by Constance Lektizian re: Frank Yeager ) Frank had a blacksmith shop with his father, then, on his own, on the southeast corner of South Main and East Church Streets. He also did work in a barn which stood on the southeast corner of the residential property. This barn was at the end of a "road" which led south from Washington Street between 8 and 24 East Washington. This barn was on the property as early as 1845 when harness maker, Horatio Foster, Jr. ( who had property to the south of Foy's) shared road rights to the barn. ( Several others after Foster enjoyed these road rights.) The results of early craftmen's labors, horseshoes, bits, handmade nails are still found on the property. Mr. Yeager stands on the left of the house in this circa 1900 .  At the time there were two front doors next to one another barely visible under the late Victorian front porch. One of the front doors opened into the family parlor, while the other was to be used by guests who entered the "Sunday parlor ". The front porch was added to the simple Greek Revival house to update it. Such porches were added to many earlier houses in the style of the popular, picturesque of the Queen Anne style porches. ( The front porch and the easternmost front door were removed at some time prior to the 1960s.) The bay window and the wing on the west were also probably added at the same time as the front porch. The windows of the bay and the addition have later Victorian proportions ( tall, slender ) while the windows in the original portion of the house have Greek Revival proportions. On the interior there is a plastered domed ceiling in the dining room, one of several domed ceilings in Village houses, probably added about the turn of the century. The house was vacant for about three years until it was purchased in 1963 and renovation began slowly. In 1976 as addition was constructed to the east facade. While the front door is old the surround is a replication of those typical of other Greek Revival style houses. The original trim had been removed, probably at the same time the porch was removed. All of the outbuildings were constructed by the current owner.