4223 N Bliss Rd, Elwell, MI 48832    $34,900 ~ Sold

OHU50K NOTES

Thanks go out to Shondra Hallead for submitting this wonderful historic octagon house for sale on three acres at $34,900.

A couple of articles about the house on Bliss Road (love the name) are posted below, but I’ve transcribed the “Save This Old House” piece so you can read it more easily.

“The history: This brick farmhouse was built by William Anderson in the 1870s. Its octagon style, popular in the Midwest at the time, was believed to promote health by means of superior cross-ventilation. Offering the advantage of more windows, it also allowed Anderson to survey his 80-acre farm in every direction. After his daughter, Eula, inherited the place, she earned it some renown, raising prizewinning sheep, cultivating flowers whose seeds and bulbs she sold to a local nursery, and receiving industrialist Henry Ford’s wife, who came to see the gardens. Eula’s granddaughter, Dorothea, has blogged about her childhood on the farm, nursing rejected lambs back to health by the wood-burning stove and enjoying grand holiday feasts in the dining room. The home was later sold outside the family.

Why save it? The octagon style had fallen out of fashion by the 1880s, and this house is one of very few surviving examples. The exterior features patterned brickwork typical of Victorian-era houses. Detailed oak moldings, stained-glass windows, and a staircase with turned balusters and intricate scrolls adorn the interior.

 

What it needs: The 1,600-square-foot house is stable but needs roof repairs, some structural brickwork on two of the back walls, and upgrades to the plumbing and electrical systems. As a start, the current owner replaced the breaker panel. The house sits surrounded by pristine farmland an hour north of Lansing. Restoring it would be a big job, but the home’s remarkable style—and storied history—are surely worth the effort.”

• 4 beds
• 1 bath
• 1,600 sq ft
• 3.0 acres lot
• Build date 1876
• Google Map 
• Property Listing
• Realtor: Justin Wohlfert with KOLAR & CO.

REALTOR COMMENTS

Here is your chance to save this old house and own a piece of history. Lots of charm here. Sitting on 3 acres on a beautiful lot with Walnut trees and Lilacs, this awaits your new home or the opportunity to take this home back to greatness. This Octagon home has a lot of history dating back to the 1870’s when William Anderson built it. Octagon homes were believed to promote health by means of superior cross ventilation. Restoring it could be a big job, but the home’s remarkable style and storied history are surely worth the effort.

MORE OHU50K NOTES

You will also be fascinated with the history and photographs provided by Gloria Price, the great-great-great granddaughter of the builder. Click the link above for the full account, but here is a small snippet that I found interesting.

“My great grandfather, Wm. Anderson, purchased the farm last about 1865, from a George Gee who had homesteaded this property.  He lived there with his first wife and four children in a log cabin in the yard just a few feet north of the brick home.  As far as I can figure, when his children were small, he joined the Army and served in the Civil War.  He must (have) returned about the year his wife died, leaving him with children ages 10 to 5 years old.  He remarried a widow, Celista Gavit, in 1867.  My grandmother, Eula Louise Anderson, was born 1872 in this cabin.  When she was very small, they built the octagon home, a showplace at the time, for the great sum of $4,000, a lot of money then.  Wm. also bought the 80 acres just west of this land, the large brick home and barns.  He later disowned the children from the first marriage, one had already died, and left his wife and Eula everything.  Papers telling of this are in the safe.  Eula married Wm. Gee and had one some, Willard Nelson Gee.  He and his wife, Vae Saxton, had me – year ?-.  Looking into old papers, I see that several people died in that home and Willard & I (Dorothea Louise Gee) were both born in it.”

 

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804 N 7th St, Petersburg, IL 62675      $49,900 ~ Off Market

OHU50K NOTES

This c.1900 brick cottage in Petersburg, Illinois, is move-in ready! I love the wrap-around porch, arched windows and exposed brick. Note the bullseye and crown moldings, fireplace mantel and pocket doors, too. The home is small, but for under $50k it’s both move-in ready and chock full of character.

• 1 bed
• 1 bath
• 839 sq ft
• 0.25 acres lot
• Build date 1900
• Google Map
• Property Listing
• Realtor: Kim Wenda with Re/Max Professionals

REALTOR COMMENTS

SOOOO COOL!! 118 yr old Brick Home in Historic Petersburg! 1 bed/ 1 ba updated and move-in ready! Exposed brick walls, Lg trim and OLD mantel~ Such Character Everywhere you look! Kitchen has breakfast bar, oak cabinets and eat in area & Plenty Cabinets! Dining room centers home w NEW flooring and views onto the porch. Liv Rm is carpeted, so many windows for natural light & decorative FP. Small bedroom w/ closet. Wrap around porch and carport! CUTE, CUTE, CUTE!!

 

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107 S Delaware St, Butler, MO 64730

$24,000 ~ Pending ~ Sold

OHU50K NOTES

Old Houses Under $50K Deal of the Week. If just one of my seven adult kids lived in Missouri, I’d seriously consider this c.1900 Victorian in Butler. What a bargain! Pocket doors, transoms, wainscoting and bullseye molding grace the home. And look at that wrap-around porch with its fretwork and wonderful ceiling! The kitchen appears as if it has vintage steel cabinetry, too. Read this OHU50K for insight on vintage steel cabinetry.

4 Pishon Ferry Rd, Clinton, ME 04927     

$49,900  ~ Off Market

OHU50K NOTES

I sure hope someone will save this c.1790 handyman special in the small town of Clinton (pop. 3,486). Its setting is quintessential Maine ~ 2.44 acres on a rural lane opposite the Kennebec River and a white country church. Hinckley Boat Launch is just a minute’s drive over the bridge as is the country market.

While the house needs extensive work, the mechanicals are mostly in working order and the roof looks good.

• 3 bed
• 1 bath
• 2.44 acres lot
• Build date 1790
• Google Map
• Property Listing
• Realtor: CENTURY 21 Surette Real Estate

REALTOR COMMENTS

Great opportunity to bring this 1790+/- colonial handyman special back to life. Most mechanical components are in place including metal roof, 100 amp electrical, hot air furnace, drilled well and septic system. Nice 2.44 acre lot.

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21 Sweat St, Richford, VT 05476   $29,900 ~ Sold

OHU50K NOTES

Can you believe this beautiful c.1880 Queen Anne is only going for $29,900? In September of 2015, it was listed at $155,000. OHU50K featured this property back in January, but since this gem still needs an owner, we decided to show it once again. Plus, below you will see another gem in the same vicinity. Sorry, no interior photos of that one.

Richford is a small town of about 2,300 residents with beautiful countryside surrounding it. Most likely originally built on a larger lot by brothers Ira and Warren Sweat (thus the unfortunate street name), the house and its property was subdivided 100+ years ago.

The brothers were builders from Quebec who lived in Richford about 50 years, and they took great care in the construction of this home. I love the rounded bay on the side, dragonskin shingles, hardwood floors (some of which have been refinished) and original doors and trim.

Lest you get too excited, this neighborhood isn’t the maple syrup and apple pie Vermont of your dreams. That’s not to say it’s bad, though. Crime is nil. Take a look at the neighborhood here, and judge for yourself.

Wonderful Queen Anne Victorian home House has beautiful hard wood floors charming butler’s pantry. Tons of storage in the attic. This is a wonderful house with great back yard. Offers responded to within 24 to 48 hours.

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