Frank Wallin House
Distinctive detailing drawn from two architectural traditions subtly illustrates the transition from the popular Victorian-era Queen Anne to the slightly later Colonial Revival style in this charming cottage built in the late 1890s. The gable-front-and-wing house form developed as the railroad spread across the continent. Such national folk housing reflected both regional and period architectural tastes. Queen Anne style elements here include the steeply pitched roof, placement of the porch, and spindled posts with decorative brackets. The hip roof of the porch and its triangular pediment are influenced by the Colonial Revival style. Inside, the home features original hardwood flooring and bull’s-eye molding. Martha Allison-Reinkeh, an early Bitterroot homesteader and colorful local character, subdivided this section of her ranch property as the Riverview Addition in 1894. Frank Wallin, a Hamilton teamster, owned the home at the turn of the century. In 1908, Wallin planted the apple orchard north of town for the Bitter Root Orchard Company, contributing significantly to the local “apple boom.” Wallin also planted several apple trees in his own neighborhood. When Wallin’s wife, Ida, died in 1917, the funeral was held here at the family home and Wallin sold the property soon after. From the late 1920s through the 1970s, the residence was the home of the Henry See family. The beautifully maintained home is a classic example of working-class housing in Hamilton at the end of the nineteenth century.
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