Pickle Barrel House facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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Pickle Barrel House
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 Location in Michigan
Location in the United States
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| Location | Burt Township, Michigan |
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| Area | 3 acres (1.2 ha) |
| Built | 1926 |
| Architect | Harold S. Cunliff |
| NRHP reference No. | 03001548 |
| Added to NRHP | February 4, 2004 |
The Pickle Barrel House is a super cool, two-story cabin. It looks exactly like two giant barrels! This unique house was inspired by tiny cartoon characters. These characters were only two inches (5.1 cm) tall. They lived under a rose bush inside a pickle barrel.
Today, you can find the Pickle Barrel House in Grand Marais. This town is on Michigan's Upper Peninsula. It's also very close to the big Lake Superior. The house is near where State Highway M-77 meets County Highway H-58. This area is a gateway to the beautiful Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore.
The main part of the house is a 16-foot-tall (4.9 m) barrel. It has two floors. The first floor is a living area. The second floor is a cozy bedroom. A smaller barrel next to it serves as the kitchen. A small pantry connects the two barrels. Outside, there's a garden and a seating area. A path runs between the two barrel sections.
Contents
The Story of the Pickle Barrel House
How the Pickle Barrel House Began
William Donahey was a talented author and artist. He drew a popular cartoon called Teenie Weenies. This comic strip started in the Chicago Tribune newspaper in 1914. It continued for many years until he passed away in 1970. The comic was about tiny people. They lived in a world where everyday objects seemed huge to them.
Donahey also created advertisements for a company called Reid-Murdock & Company. They made Monarch Foods. The Teenie Weenies characters appeared on many Monarch food labels. These included coffee, peanut butter, and even pickles. One ad showed a small pickle barrel. Some of his Teenie Weenies characters used it as a house.
In 1926, William Donahey wanted to surprise his wife, Mary Dickerson Donahey. She was also an author. So, he worked with Reid-Murdock. They decided to build a real, large version of the pickle barrel house from the ad. Reid-Murdock asked the Pioneer Cooperage Company in Chicago to build it.
This special house was meant to be a summer cabin. The Donaheys could use it in the woods near Grand Sable Lake. It was a giant copy of the small oak barrels that held Monarch pickles. The Donaheys' "barrel house on the lake" got a lot of attention. People had never seen anything like it! But after 10 years, it became too much. So many curious people came to see how they lived. Because of this, they decided to move the house from its original spot.
A New Home and a New Purpose
The Pickle Barrel House moved to downtown Grand Marais in 1936. It had been in the woods near Grand Sable Lake. Over the years, the house was used for different things. It was an ice-cream stand, an information booth, and a gift shop. The people who rented it didn't always take good care of it. The barrel house started to look old and worn out.
In 2003, the Grand Marais Historical Society bought the property. They decided to fix up the house. Their goal was to make it look just like it did when the Donaheys lived there. They worked hard and spent about $125,000 on repairs. On July 3, 2005, the newly fixed Pickle Barrel House opened to the public.
Now, the barrel house is a museum. It shows how the Donaheys lived in their summer cottage. You can see old pictures of the Donaheys inside their unique home. Some photos from the 1920s even show the "curiosity visitors" at their cottage. The museum also has books and other items about William Donahey and his Teenie Weenies. One room is all about William Donahey and his artwork. It even has a seven-inch (18 cm) barrel on display. This barrel was used to promote Monarch sweet pickles. The museum truly brings back the feeling of what it was like to live in a barrel house. Visitors can imagine what everyday life in a barrel would be like!
Michigan Historical Marker
You can find a special Michigan Historical Marker at the Pickle Barrel House. This marker tells visitors about the house's history. The barrel home is also listed on the Michigan Register of Historic Places. It is known as a Michigan Historic Home.
Gallery
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Pickle Barrel House in Grand Marais, Michigan, under repair in 2004
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Pickle Barrel House historical sign
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Pickle Barrel House in 2008
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Pickle Barrel House interior
Images for kids
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Pickle Barrel House historical sign
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Pickle Barrel House in 2021
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