A complex roof shape, hexagonal rooms, and carved and scrolled decoration showcase the Queen Anne style on Charles and Antonia Mattisons’ eclectic 1899 home. The exterior walls were originally clad in brick on the lower level with wood siding on the second floor. Lawyer Charles Mattison was a partner with James Forbis until 1904 and then headed the firm of Mattison, Cavanaugh, and Poore. The Mattisons raised four children in the house, including their oldest daughter, who died of meningitis in 1902. In 1919, Charles died at age fifty, a victim of the influenza pandemic. Butte surgeon Dr. Thomas Witherspoon and his wife Rita, a surgical nurse, purchased the home in 1923. Dr. Witherspoon had served in the medical corps in World War I and returned to become president of the Murray Hospital. He was an avid sportsman, a founding member of the Butte Chamber of Commerce, president of the Rotary Club and the American Legion, and member of many civic and social organizations. Seeing copper sales slow after World War I, Dr. Witherspoon reroofed the house in copper shingles to show support for Butte’s main industry.
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Documents
| Name | Info | Actions |
|---|---|---|
| Mattison House Research.pdf | pdf / 8.75 MB | Download |