Filed Under Forsyth

241 North Eleventh Avenue

Forsyth Residential Historic District

By 1897, a single-story home stood on this site. Owners had added a wing and two porches by 1910, but by 1920 that house had been replaced with this one-story bungalow. The full-length front porch tucked beneath the roof, exposed rafter tails, and decorative wooden brackets on both home and garage all suggest Craftsman style influence. When railroad conductor William Moore and his wife, Ruth, purchased the home in 1918, it was worth more than $2,500. Four years later, the couple sold it to Northern Pacific yardman Fred Gardkey, who rented it to various tenants. Among them was Burt Clark, a self-proclaimed “finger print expert.” In 1928, Fred and his wife, Bessie, died of pneumonia within days of each other. Fred did not have a will, and his estate was tied up in court until 1936. That year, roundhouse foreman T. E. Beals and his wife, Ella, purchased the home for $675—much less than its $1,250 appraised value. They continued to own and presumably rent out the residence until Ella sold the property in 1946.

Images

241 North Eleventh
241 North Eleventh 241 North Eleventh (PAc 91-51 Forsyth Roll01 F21). Front to side view of the house, facing northeast on North 11th Avenue. B&W. Source: Montana State Historic Preservation Office from the Photograph Archives at the Montana Historical Society Creator: Photographer unidentified Date: 1988

Location

241 North 11th Avenue, Forsyth, Montana | Private

Metadata

The Montana National Register Sign Program, “241 North Eleventh Avenue,” Historic Montana, accessed March 28, 2024, https://historicmt.org/items/show/1798.