FRASER — The Baumgartner House Museum is celebrating its 150-year anniversary this year. Its rich history shows what Fraser looked like in the beginning.
Marti VanEenenaam-Iwanicki, a trustee of the Fraser Historical Commission, said it is most likely the oldest house in Fraser that they know of and that it was built by or for John C. Baumgartner, who emigrated from Germany in 1852.
Baumgartner met his wife, Samantha, and VanEenenaam-Iwanicki said they lived in Detroit for a while before moving to Fraser. According to VanEenenaam-Iwanicki, the Baumgartners had seven children — two girls and five boys.
“They bought 80 acres, kind of where the house is now,” VanEenenaam-Iwanicki said. “The house is near the corner of Masonic and Kelly.”
Baumgartner’s 80 acres went from Masonic Boulevard to 14 Mile Road and then from Kelly Road to Groesbeck Highway. The house itself was built in a German style with rounded arched windows.
“The architecture is unusual for a private home,” VanEenenaam-Iwanicki said. “It’s usually something you’d see on big train stations or banks or municipal buildings, something like that.”
VanEenenaam-Iwanicki called John a gentleman’s farmer since he farmed and at the same time was a member of the school board and other boards.
“He was a little bit more of a wealthy farmer and so the house was pretty fancy for that time period,” VanEenenaam-Iwanicki said. “It was one of the only brick homes in Fraser.”
The house itself went through a couple of owners including one of John’s sons. Many modern accommodations were added such as bathrooms, separate rooms, different types of flooring and squaring off the rounded windows. The front room was turned into a gift shop for the museum with T-shirts and other memorabilia. VanEenenaam-Iwanicki said they plan on having a T-shirt design contest for the 150-year anniversary.
It was officially acquired by the city in the 1980s. The commission was founded to research the history of Fraser and develop a museum, VanEenenaam-Iwanicki said. It took several years of renovations for the house to be ready for the historic registry in the late 1990s.
Before the house was acquired, the city did not have a museum, VanEenenaam-Iwanicki said.
The property, which sits on about an acre, currently includes the Hemme barn, a garden, a depot and the house.
Tom Iwanicki, the Fraser Historical Commission’s vice chairperson, said the barn has a barn quilt which is one of the only ones on a barn in Macomb County.
“The barn quilt kind of represents not just our area but where the Baumgartners came from in Bavaria,” Iwanicki said.
The barn was established around 30 years ago while the quilt was put up three years ago.
The garden is a master gardener project, and they host volunteers from the Michigan State University Extension Master Gardener program. They’ve also had help from local high school students and scouts.
Iwanicki said they created a house in the German style because it was their culture.
“If you came there from Germany and you had a certain style of house that was popular at the time, that’s what you built,” Iwanicki said. “If you came from England or Ireland or something else you probably had a little bit (of a) different style of house. It’s just the culture which you’re familiar with.”
Many historical artifacts decorate the home from coffee grinders to intricate stoves and more. Though most of the items are not original to the house, they represent the time the Baumgartners grew up in. It has examples of entertainment, hygiene, heat and other things of the time.
Along with that, the house shows that the Baumgartners were shorter in stature than modern day people with low ceilings and smaller furniture.
A celebration is scheduled for September this year in honor of the house’s 150-year anniversary. VanEenenaam-Iwanicki also said they altered their barn sale schedule. Usually they have sales in June, August, September and October. This year, they are hosting sales in June, July and August, which will be the last sale before the celebration in September.
“We want to have the barn cleared out enough so we can actually have tours in there so that’s our goal,” VanEenenaam-Iwanicki said.
In December they also have a Christmas sale.
“And the old man himself tends to show up,” Iwanicki said.
For more information about the Baumgartner House, visit the historical commission’s page on the Fraser website at ci.fraser.mi.us.