Save this house
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It’s not on Pennsylvania Avenue, but the White house in Ronan is available — the George White house, that is. And all its charm is free.
It’s a sturdy white farmhouse, reminiscent of a time when sheets billowed on the clothesline as children chased each other and the dog through the yard. Later, the kids lined up as mom marked their height with a ruler and pencil on the dining room doorway, while a black and white cat curled up on the front porch.
There’s something about this old house — the way the light spills in through the large windows, baseboards a foot wide, a beautiful banister and staircase, a stained glass window, solid panel doors with old-fashioned doorknobs and vintage light fixtures.
Do you have a lot or some land but no house? Are you a handy sort of person, up to refinishing the original wood floors in places, stripping paint from beautiful old woodwork, replacing a window and leveling up the porches? Want to restore a personality-filled old house to its original glory? Here’s your chance.
Lake County bought the property to add onto the Lake County Fairgrounds, but the county doesn’t want the house.
Built about 1915, according to Cynthia Preston of the Lake County Fair Board, the vintage home needs some TLC, but its bones are good. Preston believes the house was built for the original Lake County extension agent.
It has front and rear porches, three bedrooms, a dining room, a kitchen, a large living room, a bonus room downstairs, two bathrooms, a tiny laundry room and a full basement.
Panel doors with metal doorknobs, vintage metal light fixtures, floor to ceiling cupboards and a farm sink in the kitchen are just some of the charming details. The bedrooms are good sized for a house built at that time, and the master bedroom has large windows and a balcony facing east for a mountain view.
The Fair Board advertised the house for removal, so if you can save it, please call (406) 253-3873 or (406) 644-2863.
