The Whitmore Riverbank House Abandoned After Waterway Collapse

The Whitmore family settled at Drywater Bend House in 1909 after Samuel Whitmore purchased farmland beside the Willowmere River and built the residence for his family. Three generations lived there, including Samuel, his wife Clara, their children, and later grandchildren who helped operate the riverside farm. The family earned income from crop farming, fishing rights, and transporting goods along the waterway.

Early county records describe the home as a practical countryside residence with active rooms and regular upkeep, supported by the river that provided water, transport, and seasonal employment for the household.

The first warning sign appeared in 1927 when the Whitmores received overdue water management fees after repeated low river levels reduced farm production. By 1929, declining harvests forced the family to close the upstairs guest room and stop repairing the dock walkway. The drought of the early 1930s caused the river to shift away from the property, ending fishing income and reducing farmland value. With unpaid agricultural loans and property taxes accumulating, Samuel could no longer maintain the house. In 1933, the family sold remaining equipment and moved to a nearby farming settlement before foreclosure proceedings began.

Drywater Bend House was abandoned in 1935 after foreclosure followed years of drought, unpaid farm debts, and the loss of the river economy. No restoration occurred, and no Whitmore descendants returned after leaving the valley. County documents recorded unresolved ownership transfers and continued structural decline. The old dock remained attached to the property despite the vanished waterway, while rooms inside the house stayed closed with personal belongings left behind. Over the decades, cracked walls, weather damage, and neglect weakened the residence. The riverbank house remains empty in the dry valley, continuing to deteriorate without restoration or confirmed future use.