Residence

Historical Society of Cheboygan County, Michigan

VICTORIAN SHERIFF’S RESIDENCE AND JAIL 1880 - 1969

This two-story building is the former home of Cheboygan County Sheriffs and their families. It was built in 1880 with the original cells adjacent to the residence. An additional jail wing was added in 1912.

There are no original items in this home. Families of 10 different sheriffs lived here. In 1969, the county opened a jail in the newly constructed county building on Main Street and no longer provided housing for the sheriff and his family.

Enclosed porch: This area contains washday equipment which would have been used by the sheriff’s wife who was responsible for laundry for the jail as well as for her family. Notice the progression from plunger and scrub board washing to hand operated washing machines with wringers. Laundering was a manual process including hanging the clothes to dry on bushes, fence or lines. Most clothing required ironing which was accomplished with several heavy irons heated on the kitchen wood stove. That same stove heated the water for washing the clothes.

Kitchen: (Early 1900’s style) This room contains a plethora of antique items. The kitchen cabinet, called a Hoosier became popular just before the 1920’s. The round icebox utilized blocks of lake ice which were covered with sawdust and stored in an icehouse for summer use. The wood-burning stove served as a source of heat, hot water for weekly baths and laundry, for baking and cooking, and for heating irons. The sheriff’s wife was responsible for cooking for her own family and for the prisoners in the jail.

Old fashioned food processors, butter churns, a butter mold, dough box, mounted telephone box, the rug beater and the pantry storage area are all on display.

Dining Room Dining Room: The formal dining room was probably used for the main meal and for entertaining. Chimes may have been used to call the family to dinner. The manual record player could have been used here or in the parlor.

Parlor Parlor: This is the area where the family congregated in the evenings for visiting and enjoyment. Having no radio or television, the family used items similar to the contents of this room for entertainment. The pump organ is over 100 years old and is still used on special occasions. Notice the Whist card trays and other musical instruments plus the spinning wheel. Originally, the parlor stove was the room’s only source of heat. This Jewett’s Fancy Burner burned anthracite which provided a very hot fire. The fainting couch is stuffed with horsehair. The parlor also was used by some sheriffs to receive important visitors involving county law enforcement business.

Parents Room Upstairs Parents’ Room: The parents’ room contains the baby crib which is where the youngest child slept until old enough to be moved into the children’s bedroom. The original home contained no bathroom, so chamber pots were used at night and emptied daily at the outhouse. The bedrooms’ only source of heat was air rising up the stairwell from the parlor, so hot stones, like the one here, were used to warm the beds before retiring.

Children’s Room: This room contains many children’s books, toys and clothes. It would have served as a playroom on rainy or cold days. Having an eastern and northern exposure, it would have been a bright area even on gray mornings.

Clothing Display Room: This bedroom displays antique clothing. The boots and shoes seem almost like instruments of torture, but the dresses and hats captivate the young and old alike. We are lucky to have Mrs. Cora Schanck Gaunt’s original 1903 wedding dress. On display with the taupe-colored dress are a wedding picture and a handwritten price list of materials used in the gown and in some of Mrs. Gaunt’s trousseau.

The fourth bedroom is used for archival materials. A bathroom addition at the end of the hall is currently not on display. However, it is interesting to note that the bathroom communicated directly to the parents’ bedroom, a somewhat luxurious arrangement in those days.