Welcome to the Straight Farmhouse!
The Straight Farm House & Property
The property itself, containing 160 acres, “was located by Thomas Dickerson on June 2, 1831”. A Land Patent dated February 10, 1832 by “The United States of America, by Andrew Jackson, President, and A.J. Donelson, Secretary, and Elijah Hayward, Commissioner of the General land Office”, was granted to Thomas Dickerson. When Thomas Dickerson died intestate on March 3, 1842, one of the Commissioners appointed to settle the estate was Daniel Straight. The property was partitioned and awarded to the 8 Dickerson children. Daniel Straight purchased 14.85 acres “more or less” in 1854 from T. Dickerson’s heirs. Silas Dickerson gave Daniel Straight a Warranty Deed to their share of the property in 1854. This property was farmed continuously.
Another section of land containing 80 acres was located by Luman Fowler on December 3, 1831. He was granted a Land Patent on June 8, 1833 and sold his property on July 11, 1835 to Enos and Daniel Streight (sic). Daniel and Enos purchased 80 acres more in 1836 for $400.00. By 1851, Enos and his wife, Marcy transferred their 160 acres to Daniel in a quit claim deed. Daniel then leased 100 acres for 99 years from February 28, 1865 for the purpose of boring for oil, petroleum or other chemical products and for such purpose only to Cullen Brown, who gave an Assignment of Lease on March 16, 1865 to Wayne County Oil Company. Daniel was promised 1/10 part of all oil, etc., provided that if operations are not commenced in one year, then this lease shall be null and void. It provided further that if oil or salt is not discovered within 5 years, this lease shall be null and void.
Around 1866, Daniel built the house now owned by the Friends of the Garden City Historical Museum at 6221 Merriman Road. On November 26, 1869, Daniel and Marcia, his wife, deeded 55+ acres to their son, Oscar in a Warranty Deed for $3000.00. Various sections were conveyed via Quit Claim Deeds back and forth between father and son until September 26, 1874 when the total property reached 105 acres, “more or less”.
By 1877, after Daniel’s death, smaller parcels had been sold to Amy A. Taylor, Thomas W. Stringer, John Shultz, Albert J. Tate, Wilson Preston, William Baehr and to Edwin E. Gilbeth. The remaining property was inherited by Oscar and his sister, Louisa P. Osband of Lansing, MI. She sold her share to Oscar for $5,000.00. After son, Oscar’s, death in 1886, the property ownership and administration was granted by Probate Court to his wife, Mary. Upon Mary’s death (date unknown) the remaining living heirs of the property were Marshall Straight and his wife, Helen. Marshall’s younger brother, Ralph, had died at the age of 14, four months after his father, Oscar, on February 18, 1887. Oscar and son, Ralph, are buried in Newburgh Cemetery.
Records show that Mary Straight and son, Marshall were living in Ypsilanti, MI when they granted a Life Lease to the property to Daniel’s widow, Marcia A. Straight on December 23, 1890. Marcia died in 1891. Both Daniel and Marcia are buried in Newburgh Cemetery.
In 1896, Marshall and his mother, Mary, sold 90 acres to C. H. Roberts for $2,000.00 (mortgage). In 1905, Alice H. Roberts, widow, is named executrix of the estate of Charles H. Roberts and the property goes back to Marshall and Mary Straight in a discharge of the mortgage. It passed through many hands until the last family to live in the house from 1936 to 1964 was the Brand family.
It was subsequently sold to the Northwest Child Guidance Clinic which later became Starfish Family Services. The Friends of the Garden City Historical Museum bought the property in 2004, named it “The Straight Farm House” and established the Lathers General Store and the Grande Parlour, a rental facility to support the operation. In October of 2007 it also became the home of the Garden City Historical Museum -- a museum devoted entirely to the history of Garden City. A brick-paver walkway was created as a memorial to our founders, families, friends, schools, churches and more and includes a monument and flagpole dedicated to military personnel -- a gift from the American Legion Riders, a motorcycle organization founded in Garden City.
Our Vision Statement:
To provide a museum in Garden City
which will preserve the history of the community
and serve as an educational center.
Our Mission Statement:
The mission and purpose of the
Friends of the Garden City Historical Museum
is to ensure that future generations can learn about and understand
the contributions of prior generations
to the formation and growth of Garden City.
Copyright © 2005 Friends of the Garden City Historical Museum