The Whitmore House on Linden Avenue

The Whitmore family established their Linden Avenue residence in 1909 after Charles Whitmore purchased the property following his success as a furniture manufacturer. Three generations lived there, including Charles, his wife Amelia, their children, and later grandchildren who shared the large urban home. The family income came from furniture production, timber suppliers, and regional trade contracts.

Historical records describe the Second Empire house as a respected neighborhood residence with active parlors, maintained bedrooms, and regular care of its carved woodwork and exterior details during its most stable period.

The first warning sign appeared in 1928 when Whitmore Furniture Company recorded declining orders and overdue payments from retailers. During the economic downturn of the early 1930s, Charles reduced employees, sold equipment, and limited household expenses. Several upper bedrooms were closed, and repairs to the mansard roof, porch columns, and iron cresting were postponed. After Charles’s death in 1933, disagreements between heirs delayed decisions about the property. By 1935, unpaid business debts, mortgage payments, and inheritance disputes forced the family to leave Linden Avenue while legal proceedings continued.

The Whitmore House was abandoned in 1936 after foreclosure followed years of business decline, unpaid debts, and unresolved inheritance disputes. No restoration occurred, and no Whitmore descendants returned after leaving Linden Avenue. Municipal records noted incomplete ownership transfers and continued deterioration of the vacant residence. The interior rooms remained closed, preserving documents, furniture, and household objects left behind. Over the decades, moisture, weather exposure, and structural settling affected the property. The Second Empire and Eastlake house remains on the residential avenue, slowly deteriorating without restoration or a confirmed future owner.