I intend to purchase this home. The current owner says it was built in 1890, claiming a stone with the 1890 inscription was once there but thrown away by the owner previous to her. Public Record (according to zillow.com) says it was built in 1914. Current owner says there was a fire in the courthouse that may have destroyed original deed and 1914 was the first transfer of deed.

Much of the inside was remodeled by current owner. The front door and two front windows with stained glass transoms are original. As well as transoms throughout the home. The original pine floors are under the new pine floors. Some of the decorative ceilings are original as well. I don't have pictures of these features, as we don't occupy the home yet.

I'm sure someone will venture a guess, but honestly, it is just a guess. The only way you can know for sure is if something original to the house is dated or labeled with something equivalent to a date.

Otherwise, all people will be able to say is that this style was popular approximately x year. If there is some defining feature or product used, they might be able to say it has to have been built after Y year because that product wasn't available until then. Public records are often unreliable.

Ballpark, it looks like a turn of the century home. Around that time, the fanciful asymetric homes of the victorian era were falling out of style and people started building more straight forward buildings.

If you are in the motor city, the auto boom kicked off in 1899. In the next 30 years, the population increased by a factor of 5, so about 80% of the older homes in the city were built in those years.

It's a process. Sometimes it takes years to piece all the clues together.

it sounds like the owner's story is going to be the best source. they completely renovated from the foundation up. i don't think there is much left untouched by them.

i just wish i had something more concrete than hearsay about some stone that may have belonged to the house.

Rosefolly

fuzzy- interesting article. i'll have to take a drive by that home.

columbusguy- another good idea. the house does use city water now... but i don't know if there was a well earlier.

mongrel- there is an 1950s addition on the back right side.

but the current owners renovated it again. the interior space is now a pantry and laundry room. This is that same addition now from the back side of the house.

There was also once a chimney on the right side that the current owners capped off in the attic. This is the condition when they bought it in 2005.

Thanks everyone for your help!

We will be new 'old home' owners, and I am excited about the history. My grandfather is into geneology and he just sent me the transcript to the 1900-01 diary of my grandmother's grandmother who lived in the same small town as this home.