Two separate mining interests, Young and Roudebush and the Kessler Brothers, patented the Belle of Butte Lode in 1880 and 1881 respectively. While miners worked the lode below ground, builders hastily assembled workers’ cottages on the surface. Generations of Cornish mining families resided in this house, built circa 1899 by Alice Mine foreman John Harris. Supported by Doric columns, the home’s full front porch complemented the house’s functional design while offering space for relaxation. Richard and Katie Hancock purchased the residence in 1902 for their large extended family. In 1903, the Hancock’s nephew and boarder, John Martin, fell to his death in the Mountain View mine. William and Annie Crothers moved here in 1913. William did underground iron work and Annie volunteered with the Willing Worker Society, a church charitable group. They sold the house in 1925 to George and Lillian Collins, another Walkerville mining family, who remained in residence until George’s death in 1935. Miner Charles Hansen and wife Neva purchased the home in 1936. Charles died shortly after and Neva remained in residence, taking in boarders. Neva died in 1967.
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