Annual Milford Home Tour showcases historic, unique houses

The Milford Historical Society’s 36th annual Milford Home Tour will take place on Saturday, Sept. 15 and Sunday, Sept. 16.

Tickets for the event are $15 for adults and $13 for seniors 65-years-old and older. Advance tickets will be available at the following downtown Milford businesses: Acorn Farm at 367 N. Main Street; Main Street Art at 432 N. Main Street; Your Nesting Place at 332 N. Main Street; and the Milford Historical Society Museum at 124 E. Commerce Street.

During home tour hours, tickets will be available at the Milford Historical Society Museum, as well as all five home sites included on the tour.

Home Tour hours are 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday.

The Crawford-Sitar House at 119 Oakland is a Victorian Gothic home that dates back to between 1871 and 1872 when it was built by Phebe Crawford, who owned a book store on Main Street at the time.

The house declined over decades until it was restored by Jennifer and Paul Elowsky to include modern amenities while still retaining some of its original features, such as its 19th century doorknobs.

The current owner, Shawn Sitar, has added Chinese art and furniture, including guardian lions at the front door.

Another Victorian Gothic-style home is featured at 645 Canal Street. It was built for Benjamin Franklin Howland, who once ran a lumberyard and a dried apple factory in Milford, and Mary Hale Howland.

While the date the house was built is unknown, it is on a 1872 map for Oakland County.

After renovations years later by Greg Brainer of Brainer Nurseries, Deidre and Ferrill McCarthy purchased the home 10 years ago. It now includes a pool and a waterfall in the backyard, as well as more energy-efficient amenities throughout the house.

Also part of the Home Tour is a Victorian home at 803 Atlantic dating back to 1968, when carpenter and joiner Henry E. Meachum built it for his wife, Amanda Esther Smith Meachem, along with her parents and their children.

The house was purchased in February by Danielle and Pat DeLonge.

During the tour, pages from the Meachum family genealogy records that were found hidden in the wall when the original stairway was removed will be featured, along with an exhibit of historic underclothing.

At 214 Franklin resides the Lawrence-Flowers home, which was built in 1940. Some of its features date back to when it was first built, including its front and back porch and its garage.

Items in the house include a smoking cabinet as well as a picture of a Lawrence family relative who was a Seminole Indian.

The Johnson-Eldridge home at 648 Atlantic dates back to 1941 and includes its original front door and millwork, while the west side office includes its original floors, woodwork, fireplace and footprint.

It’s a 1,581-square-foot, 1.5-story Cape Cod Revival that was built by building contractor Walter C. Tressler and his two sons.

The current owners are Chris and Jim Eldridges, who purchased the home in 2000.

On Sunday, the annual Milford Car Show will also take place in downtown Milford on Main Street, featuring hundreds of cars ranging from vintage vehicles to modern street rods.

There will also be children’s activities at Central Park beginning at 11 a.m., including a rubber duck race at 2 p.m.

A tractor show will also take place Sunday at the Huron Valley State Bank branch on South Milford Road at General Motors Road from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

The Milford Historical Museum will be open both Saturday and Sunday, as will the log cabin next to Milford Fire Station No. 1 and the Pettibone Creek Powerhouse in Central Park.

For more information about the Home Tour and other events this weekend, log onto www.milfordhistory.org.