A built-in china cabinet with access from two rooms, a bird’s-eye maple floor in the dining room, a breakfast nook with a simple round arch, and an early dishwasher made this stylish 1905 Queen Anne style residence a haven for entertaining. A cross-gabled plan, decorative shingle siding, a pedimented porch, and native rock basement highlight the structure’s façade. Throughout the years the home was owned and rented by several prominent citizens who entertained frequently, capitalizing on this distinctive architectural design. Assistant Secretary of the State Senate Xerxes Kemp Stout rented here in 1905. Stout administered the oath of office to his uncle, Joseph K. Toole, Montana’s first governor. In 1913, State Senator Sidney Butler, the “father of Flathead County,” leased the dwelling. The longest residing occupant, Dr. Locious A. Harris, purchased the home in 1924 and added steam heat to the attached garage so that in the winter his car would start quickly in medical emergencies. The Harris’ daughter Bernice lived here until 1981.
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