The Caldwell Family House on Mercer Street

The Caldwell family established their home on Mercer Street in 1907 after William Caldwell built the Stick Revival residence following his success as a furniture manufacturer. Three generations lived there, including William, his wife Clara, their children, and later grandchildren who helped manage the family business. Their income came from furniture production and contracts supplying local stores.

City property records describe the house as a respected family residence with maintained rooms, active workshops, and regular repairs during its most prosperous years. The parlor, library, and upper bedrooms remained in daily use before the family’s financial decline.

The first warning sign appeared in 1927 when Caldwell Furniture Works began receiving fewer orders and delayed payments from retailers. After the economic downturn of the early 1930s, William reduced expenses by dismissing household staff and closing several unused bedrooms on the third floor. Repairs to the roof, porch columns, and exterior woodwork were postponed as business debts and property taxes accumulated. Following William’s death in 1932, disagreements among heirs delayed the sale of the house. By 1934, creditors moved forward with legal action, and Clara left Mercer Street to live with relatives outside the city.

The Caldwell House was abandoned in 1935 after foreclosure followed years of business losses, unpaid taxes, and delayed inheritance decisions. No restoration occurred, and no Caldwell descendants returned after the family moved away from Mercer Street. Municipal records noted unresolved ownership transfers and continued deterioration of the property. The interior rooms remained closed, with household records and belongings left behind. Over the following decades, moisture damage, peeling surfaces, and structural wear affected the Stick Revival mansion. The house remains empty on the residential block, slowly deteriorating without restoration or confirmed future ownership.