Charles Granke Home
In 1899, Charles W. Granke left his family in Wisconsin and set out to establish a new and better life for them elsewhere. Charles’ travels led him to Montana, where he found employment with the Anaconda Copper Mining Company and settled here in Hamilton. A year later, Charles’ wife and three children made the long and hazardous journey to their new Montana home. Charles was one of two sawyers employed at the company’s sawmill and held that position until the mill shut down in 1915. He and his family, however, remained in Hamilton. The company built this Queen Anne/Colonial Revival cottage for which Charles obtained title in 1906. This charming home offers an unusually well-preserved example of the turn-of-the-twentieth-century transition between these styles. While symmetrical lines, vertical corner board trim, and return gable ends reveal influence of the newer Colonial Revival style, the home is rich in Queen Anne detailing: scroll brackets, abundant decorative molding, and turned spindles above the porch. The cutaway porch itself is of special interest because it is a feature that rarely survives intact in Montana, where enclosures offer added weather protection.
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