John W. Hunter House, house in Birmingham, United States of America
The John W. Hunter House is a frame house built in the early 1820s in Birmingham, Michigan, showing Greek Revival style with clapboard siding and a simple porch. The structure measures roughly 36 by 37 feet with one and a half stories and a gabled roof, representing one of the first finished houses in Oakland County rather than a log cabin.
The house was built in 1822 by John West Hunter, a New York settler who arrived in 1818 and developed his property with a farm tool manufacturing business and foundry. The structure was moved from its original location on Old Woodward Avenue to Brown Street in the late 1800s and added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1972.
The house once served as a lodging place for travelers on the Saginaw Trail, reflecting how early settlers earned income from their homes. This hospitality was central to frontier life and shaped the daily rhythm of emerging settlements.
The house is now located in a public park and available for visitor tours guided by local historical groups. The small, intimate setting requires minimal time to explore and walk through at a comfortable pace.
The house was relocated to its current park location in the late 1800s, a significant undertaking that protected it from modern development. This move allowed the community to preserve the building and open it as a museum for future generations to experience.
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