Wisner House facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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Wisner House
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| Location | 405 Cesar Chavez Ave., Pontiac, Michigan |
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| Area | 4 acres (1.6 ha) |
| Built | 1845 |
| Architectural style | Greek Revival |
| NRHP reference No. | 70000284 |
| Added to NRHP | July 8, 1970 |
The Wisner House, also called Pine Grove, is a historic home in Pontiac, Michigan. You can find it at 405 Cesar Chavez Avenue. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1970. This means it's an important place in history.
Today, it's a public museum called the Governor Moses Wisner House. The Oakland County Pioneer and Historical Society takes care of it. It's part of the larger Pine Grove Historical Museum.
Contents
History of the Wisner House
Moses Wisner's Early Life
Moses Wisner was born in New York in 1815. He moved to Michigan in 1837. He first tried farming. But soon, he decided to study law instead. He learned about law in his brother's office in Pontiac.
By 1844, Wisner made Pontiac his permanent home. In 1845, he arranged for this house to be built. He got married three years later.
Wisner's Political Career
As Moses Wisner became a lawyer, he also got involved in politics. Politics is about how a country or state is governed. He helped start the Republican Party in 1854.
In 1858, he ran for governor of Michigan. He won the election and served a two-year term. When the Civil War began, he helped gather soldiers for the army. Sadly, he passed away in early 1863 from a sickness called typhoid fever.
The House After Moses Wisner
Moses Wisner's wife, Angeolina Wisner, kept the house just as it was when he was alive. She lived there until she passed away in 1905. After her, their daughter Jessie Wisner Clark owned the house. Then, her granddaughter Florence Clark Wallace took care of it.
In 1945, Florence Clark Wallace sold the house to the Oakland County Pioneer and Historical Society. They turned it into a museum. This way, people can visit and learn about Moses Wisner and his family.
Description of the Wisner House
The Wisner House is a two-story building made of red brick. It is built in the Greek Revival style. This style was popular in the 1800s and looks like ancient Greek temples. It has a single-story section with a row of tall, round columns. These columns are called Doric columns.
The main entrance has a flat roof covering it. The windows have two parts that slide up and down. They have stone sills at the bottom and stone tops. Inside the house, you can still see many items that belonged to Moses Wisner and his family.
