In 1901, prosperous rancher Thomas Hammond built “a fine residence in Forsyth … one of the architectural adornments of the city.” He and his wife, Adelaide, and their four children used the home as a town house until 1905. That year they sold the two-story, four-square residence to Fred and Jemima Collins. A prominent lawyer and real estate developer, Fred later made a fortune in coal and oil near Roundup. By 1910, the Collinses had added a one-story back addition and remodeled the front porch to create a jutting, prominent entryway. They changed the porch a second time before 1920 to feature a screened second-floor sleeping room and balustrade atop the second story. Decorative leaded glass, original fixtures, and a secret room behind the second-floor bathroom add interest to the home’s interior, as does a fireplace lined with river rocks. Local sources say that Jemima Collins collected the rocks herself, and that before bringing them inside, she placed them in a fire in the backyard to make sure they could stand the heat of a fireplace.
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