Harlem's 1841 House |
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House of Seven Gables
a.k.a. House of Seven Gabriels |
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On Sunday, October 19, 2014, the historic house at
4987 Harlem Road
was open for visitors from 1 to 4 p.m. Ransom Noble Keeler and his bride Mary Curtiss
received this new house as a wedding present. Mary was the
daughter of Marcus Curtiss in Genoa Township. Mary died in 1852 from a fall leaving at least three children. Ten years later Ransom died at the age of 46. His brother Lucius inherited his farm. Two years later Lucius and his sister Mary Hughs sold two tracts of the land to Thomas H. Marriott. For the next three generations they worked the farm and added orchards. The farm was lost during the Great Depression in 1927 and was held by loan companies who rented it out for farming. On October 31, 1936, Walter Lee and Mary (Thomas) Gabriel bought the property from Bellefontaine Savings & Loan and moved from a rental farm on Bokes Creek to Harlem township with three kids and a $10,500 mortgage. The young family moved to the old house, rundown farm buildings and equipment. They added 2 more sons, and improved the farm and buildings. Only three families - the Keelers, the Marriotts and the Gabriels - have owned this house until October 2014. It has an ice house-smokehouse, a stone pantry plus a 3-seater privy. |
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(11/11/2014) |