Filed Under Hobson

Wood Lawn Farm

In 1881, Clarence Goodell and his bride, Parmelia "Millie" Priest, made the treacherous 300-mile journey from Helena to the Judith Basin. The Goodells built a log cabin there and staked a tree claim on the Judith River. By 1889, the enterprising Clarence was farming and ranching over 3,000 acres. That same year local builder Richmond Jellison began construction of the Goodells' new wood frame residence in nearby Philbrook. There Clarence operated two local stagelines equipped with horses bred at the Goodell farm. Dubbed "Goodell's Folly" by the locals, the Queen Anne/Colonial Revival home was a curiosity among the log cabins of the valley. Though its turret was removed after a windstorm and the porches are now enclosed, the residence appears much as it did when Millie applied her creative touches. Even today her peony bushes and hand-painted interior trim delight the eye. In the 1890s, Clarence served as state legislator and county commissioner while Millie was Philbrook's postmistress. One of the area's first women settlers, Millie often traveled miles to assist in childbirth or tend the sick, and the Goodell home was always open to those in need. The residence and still functional pre-1920s outbuildings symbolize the transition from frontier to farming community. Wood Lawn Farm today is the last thriving remnant of the once-vital settlement of Philbrook and a tribute to these resourceful pioneers.

Images

[Wood Lawn Farm]
[Wood Lawn Farm] (verso unavailable) b&w print Source: Official records of the Montana State Historic Preservation Office, Helena, Montana Creator: Unidentified photographer Date: [no date]
Wood lawn Farm ca. 1890
Wood lawn Farm ca. 1890 Wood Lawn Farm ca. 1890 - Judith Basin Co. 24 JT 194 (verso) b&w print Source: Official records of the Montana State Historic Preservation Office, Helena, Montana Creator: Unidentified photographer Date: ca. 1890
[Wood Lawn Farm]
[Wood Lawn Farm] Official records of the Montana State Historic Preservation Office, Helena, Montana verso unavailable b&w print Source: Official records of the Montana State Historic Preservation Office, Helena, Montana Creator: Unidentified photographer Date: [no date]
Wash day at the C.M. Goodell ranch
Wash day at the C.M. Goodell ranch Wash day at the C.M. Goodell ranch. Homer T. Goodell sitting on engine which he rigged up to mechanize the old fashioned washer. Ruby Goodell at tub. Philbrook, Mont. Source: [Homer and Rudy Goodell, children of Millie Priest Goodell and Clarence Goodell] collection of the Montana Historical Society Research Center Photograph Archives, Helena, Montana Creator: Unidentified photographer Date: [ca. 1900]
Wood Lawn Farm/Goodell Ranch
Wood Lawn Farm/Goodell Ranch Woodlawn Farm/Goodell Ranch 5 mi west of Hobson on Utica Hiway [sic] Marilyn Derks [addiitional photographer information on verso] House/looking northwest 1 03 07 92 Judith Basin County, MT (verso) b&w print Source: Official records of the Montana State Historic Preservation Office, Helena, Montana Creator: Marilyn Derks Date: [late 20th century]
[Wood Lawn Farm]
[Wood Lawn Farm] (verso unavailable) b&w print Source: Official records of the Montana State Historic Preservation Office, Helena, Montana Creator: Unidentified photographer Date: [no date]
Barn/east side looking west
Barn/east side looking west Woodlawn Farm/Goodell Ranch 5 mi west of Hobson on Utica Hiway [sic] Marilyn Derks [photographer information verso] Barn/east side looking west 2 03 07 92 (verso) b&w print Source: Official records of the Montana State Historic Preservation Office, Helena, Montana Creator: Marilyn Derks Date: [no date]

Location

5 miles west of Hobson on Utica Road #239, Hobson, Montana | Private

Metadata

The Montana National Register Sign Program, “Wood Lawn Farm,” Historic Montana, accessed March 28, 2024, https://historicmt.org/items/show/667.