Kittie C. McCoy House facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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Kittie C. McCoy House
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| Location | 1455 Benstein Rd., Commerce Township, Michigan |
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| Area | less than one acre |
| Built | c. 1860 |
| Architectural style | Gabled ell house |
| NRHP reference No. | 08001105 |
| Added to NRHP | March 25, 2009 |
The Kittie C. McCoy House is a historic family home. It is located at 1455 Benstein Road in Commerce Township, Michigan. This special house was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2009. This means it is recognized as an important part of history.
The Story of the McCoy House
The story of the Kittie C. McCoy House begins with Thomas Henry McCoy. He was born in 1848 in Commerce Township. In 1873, Thomas bought the land where the house now stands. The house was likely built even earlier, around the 1850s or 1860s.
In 1879, Thomas McCoy married Catherine Jane Cuthbertson. Everyone called her "Kittie." Kittie was born in 1854 near Orchard Lake. She became well-known in the area for her poetry. Kittie wrote many poems about local events and celebrations. In 1886, she published a book of her poems called Buds and Blossoms.
Thomas and Kittie McCoy raised their family in this house. They lived there until Thomas passed away in 1910. Later that same year, Kittie moved to Milford, Michigan. She kept writing poetry until she died in 1917.
What Does the House Look Like?
The Kittie C. McCoy House is a two-story farmhouse. It has a simple design, shaped like an "L" when you look down from above. This style is called a "gabled-ell" house. There is also a smaller, one-story section at the back.
The house sits on a strong foundation made of fieldstone. Its outer walls are covered with wooden boards called clapboard. These boards overlap to protect the house from the weather. The roof has parts that stick out, called eaves.
At the front of the house, there is a porch with a sloped roof. This porch covers the main entrance. Most of the windows are tall and narrow. They have one pane of glass on the top and one on the bottom.
