Swift Lathers Museum facts for kids
The Swift Lathers Museum is a special place in Mears, Michigan. It used to be the home of Swift and Celia Lathers. Now, it's a big part of the Oceana Historical Park. In 1971, their house was given to the Oceana County Historical & Genealogical Society. The idea was to turn it into a museum. This museum honors Swift Lathers, who was a newspaper publisher.
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History of the Lathers Home
The Lathers house was first built in 1892 or 1893. It started as a two-story house with four rooms. It was made of wood. Later, a front porch and a sun-room were added.
When you go inside, the house looks just like it did when the Lathers family lived there. The furniture is from the years 1935 to 1970. Many parts of the house are still original. This includes the dark wood, special stenciled crown moldings, and etched glass doors. Even the bookcase dividers in the living room are original.
A man named Jesse Barton built the house. Around 1920, another family updated it. They added more rooms like a bedroom, dining room, kitchen, and bathroom. They also added the sun room and front porch.
Life in the Lathers Home
The Lathers family bought the house in 1935. Their property had eight lots, including a garage and a barn. The house has a special basement called a Michigan cellar. Its round brick walls were perfect for storing potatoes and apples.
Celia Lathers, Swift's wife, would can hundreds of jars of fruits and vegetables. She did this every summer. These jars were stored in the cellar. This way, the family had food all winter long. There is a spiral staircase that goes from the first floor to the basement. The basement floor is made of sand. It also has a coal bin for the furnace. The Lathers family never had a telephone in their home. They wrote letters to talk to people far away.
The Newspaper Office
The northwest corner of the house was a very important place. It was "off limits" to everyone else. This area was where Swift Lathers worked on his newspaper, the Mears News. Swift wrote and edited everything himself.
Today, you can see his desk and printing press in the museum. The original type pieces he used are also on display. You can also see some of his personal items. The museum has original copies of the newspaper he printed. Some rooms in the house show items from the 1800s and early 1900s. Swift's newspaper was famous for being called "The Smallest Newspaper in the World."
The Garage and Tools
The garage at the Lathers home was unique. It contained the family's toilet facilities. This outhouse inside the garage had "three holes." It was hidden from neighbors because of its unusual spot. This gave the family complete privacy. Being in the garage also protected it from Halloween pranksters. Many other outhouses in the neighborhood would get tipped over.
The garage also displays many old tools. You can see antique saws, hammers, drill bits, axes, and shovels. There are old logging tools that were used to build houses and barns. The garage also has nineteenth-century farm machines. These include corn shellers, planters, bean sorters, and scales. There is even a special ladder designed by a local person for picking fruit. Other tools like wrenches and pliers are also on display. These were used to fix farm implements and dairy equipment.
