The Whitaker Residence Abandoned After Furniture Factory Closure

The Whitaker family established Rosefield Residence on Maple Terrace in the town of Glenford in 1908 after Samuel Whitaker built the mansion while expanding his furniture factory. Samuel, his wife Clara, their four children, and Clara’s mother lived in the three-story Eastlake home. The family income came from handcrafted furniture production, regional supply contracts, and factory ownership.

Local newspapers recorded Rosefield Residence as one of the neighborhood’s finest homes, maintained through the success of the Whitaker factory before changing markets affected the family’s finances.

The first warning sign appeared in 1929 when furniture orders decreased and several regional stores stopped purchasing Whitaker products. By 1931, Samuel received overdue notices for timber suppliers and factory equipment payments. The family dismissed household staff, closed the upper dormer rooms, and delayed repairs to the veranda screens, shutters, and copper roof. The furniture factory closure of 1933 caused business debts, unpaid property taxes, and mortgage difficulties. In 1934, Samuel and Clara left Rosefield Residence after foreclosure proceedings began, moving with their youngest child to live near relatives in another town.

Rosefield Residence was abandoned in 1935 after the furniture factory closure, foreclosure process, and accumulated debts ended the Whitaker family’s ownership. No restoration occurred, and no Whitaker descendants returned to occupy the mansion. County records later documented unsuccessful property auctions and increasing maintenance costs. Furniture records, household belongings, and personal documents remained inside while weather damaged the clapboard walls, veranda, and copper roof. Over decades, flowering vines covered the garden walls and the birdhouse rusted beside the lawn. The Eastlake Victorian mansion remains empty on Maple Terrace, deteriorating without restoration or a confirmed future owner.