Kalispell carpenter Cassius McCarty, property owner from 1909 to 1911, most likely built this vernacular style residence with Craftsman style details. Shortly after construction newlyweds Herbert and Kate Alward moved into the new home. An established member of the community, Alward was cashier of the First National Bank, the oldest bank in the northwestern portion of the state. In 1910, Alward married socialite Kate Montelius, daughter of Mrs. Lew Switzer, in an elegant yellow wedding. Alward’s financial career took the family to Tacoma, Washington, four years later. Traveling salesman Maurice Beaudin rented the house from the Alwards. Kate Alward died during the influenza epidemic in 1920 leaving three small children. A. J. Casey, a partner in the Western Supply Company grocery, purchased the property from Alward in 1923. The Craftsman style was a popular architectural design in Kalispell at the turn of the century. The home features clapboard siding, a hipped roof, exposed rafter tails, a projecting window on the south side, and a small integrated porch with Tuscan columns. A stained-glass window in the bathroom complements the residence’s vintage interior.
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