James Noble Sherwood House facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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James Noble Sherwood House
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 Location in Michigan
Location in the United States
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| Location | 768 Riverview Dr., Plainwell, Michigan |
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| Area | 3 acres (1.2 ha) |
| Built | 1863 |
| Architectural style | Greek Revival |
| NRHP reference No. | 84000507 |
| Added to NRHP | December 27, 1984 |
The James Noble Sherwood House is a private home located at 768 Riverview Drive in Plainwell, Michigan. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1984. This means it's an important historical building worth protecting.
History of the Sherwood House
In 1831, Hull Sherwood moved to this area from Brighton, New York. He bought land along the Kalamazoo River. There, he started a gristmill, which grinds grain into flour, and a sawmill, which cuts wood.
Hull's son, Lebbeus Sherwood, also arrived in 1831 with his family. Two years later, he bought this specific piece of land by the Kalamazoo River. He then built a wooden house there.
Lebbeus had a son named James Noble Sherwood, who was born in 1820. When Lebbeus passed away in 1835, James inherited the land.
James Noble Sherwood built the current house between 1863 and 1864. He used local workers for the construction. When James died in 1903, his son, Edward Jay Sherwood, took over the house and property.
After Edward passed away in 1934, the house went to his son, Marion Sherwood. The Sherwood family owned the house until 1964, when they sold it.
What the Sherwood House Looks Like
The James Noble Sherwood House is a two-story brick house. It's built in the Greek Revival style, which was popular in the 1800s. This style often looks like ancient Greek temples.
The house has a "gabled" roof, meaning it slopes down on two sides. It also has an "Upright and Wing" shape. This means one part of the house stands tall (the upright), and another part extends out like a wing. There's also a one-story kitchen added to the back.
A wide decorative band, called an entablature, goes around the house. At the ends of the gables, this band turns inward, which are called cornice returns.
A wooden porch with a shed roof runs along the front of the "wing" section. This porch covers three windows and a door. The windows have six small panes of glass on the top and six on the bottom.
The tall "upright" part of the house has two similar windows on each floor. These windows have a slightly arched top. The sides of the house also have these types of windows.
Inside, the first floor has a large living room, a kitchen, a dining room, and two smaller rooms. These smaller rooms were probably bedrooms originally. A former pantry is now a bathroom.
Upstairs, on the second floor, there are three bedrooms. The upper part of the "wing" section was once one big room. It has since been changed into a bedroom, a bathroom, and a storage area. The house still has its original white pine wood floors throughout.
