Forsyth Residential Historic District

30 Locations | Curated by Historic Montana

Founded for the railroad, Forsyth’s residential neighborhoods were platted in 1882 but much of the land lay undeveloped until the 1900s. Forsyth’s first-generation homes were simple dwellings rapidly constructed of wood or log to serve the immediate needs of the railroad workers who were Forsyth’s first residents. The historic district northeast of the commercial area was home to many of these. By the 1890s, however, the railroad crews had moved on, the population had become more diverse, and the town was more settled. The landmark vernacular Gothic style Methodist Episcopal Church, built in 1890, represents this earliest period of permanent development. A few carpenter-built American foursquare and gable-front-and-wing cottages survive from the 1890s. These dwellings follow the national folk housing trends of the era. Builders and owners added distinctive details such as bay windows, small dormers, and porches, lending each home a distinct personality. As Forsyth residents prospered, fashionable Queen Anne style residences began to lend prestige to the neighborhood. After 1901, domestic building styles became more varied when pattern books made the latest architectural plans widely available. Forsyth enjoyed rapid growth and new prosperity in the first decades of the 1900s. Stylish Colonial Revival homes and Craftsman bungalows reflect the optimism of the homestead era. Today the historic district is a dynamic mix of these later elements interspersed with the earlier carpenter-built cottages. The quiet, inviting avenues personify the enthusiasm of hard-working citizens and early town boosters. 

“The three Longley cottages in the eastern part of the city have been completed and are ready for occupancy,” announced the Forsyth Times in November 1901. Two of those cottages were almost certainly this hipped-roof residence and its twin next door, both owned by M. Longley. The homes are typical…
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Sunrays filtering through a window apparently ignited straw packing in the basement of the J. E. Choisser Wholesale Liquor Company in July 1917. Bottles of liquor burst in the flames, fueling a fire that ultimately gutted the two-story building. Self-made entrepreneur Joseph Choisser built the…
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“May You Prosper Well in Your New Theatre with Your Steadfast Faith in Forsyth,” read one of the many ads that filled the August 28, 1930, Forsyth Times. Car and clothing merchants joined building contractors and suppliers in congratulating Anthony Wolke and Frank Faust on the construction of their…
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Civil engineer Charles Taber helped survey the original Northern Pacific line through Forsyth in 1881. He must have liked what he saw because he soon returned to Forsyth, becoming the town’s first mayor after it incorporated in 1904. Taber purchased this two-story Queen Anne style home in 1906,…
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Dr. Arthur C. Wilson moved to Forsyth after graduating medical school in 1891. He worked as a surgeon for the Northern Pacific Railroad, as a medical examiner for insurance companies, and as the county health officer. Forsyth’s first resident physician, he also maintained an active general practice…
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