
You are suggesting corrections for item Richardson's Inn, Howell, Michigan - 1934. An administrator will review your contribution. Thank you for taking the time to improve this site!
Current Item Information
Title
Richardson's Inn, Howell, Michigan - 1934
Description
This is a photograph of Richardson's Inn. The display also consists of three bronze keys appearing from the Inn.
Richardson's Inn was located at 628 Fleming Street, Howell Michigan. The Inn was on the west side of Fleming near the Pere Marquette passenger depot. At one time, Fleming Street came to a dead end at the Pere Marquette Railroad track. Fleming remains a dead end street at the railroad tracks. The Pere Marquette Depot was moved to the Fowlerville Fairgrounds. The date that the hotel was constructed is unknown. The 1915 Howell plat map and the Sanborn map of 1910 show its location.
Early on, Richardson’s Inn was called the Old Railroad Hotel, and then was called the Howell House. An obituary of William Barnard, 1906, states William and wife Julia Aldrich Barnard operated the hotel known as the Howell House. View Livingston Republican April 1, 1908 Article. In library use only
By 1886, the property was owned by Charles Barber. Charles W. Barber was an early settler (1835) in Green Oak township, Livingston county and a mail carrier for many years before owning the hotel. It was called Howell Hotel in 1901, when Charles died there. His widow, Janett, listed it for sale in 1904. Mrs. Barber sold the hotel to Alfred and Lucy Curtis of Fenton for $1200. In the 1910’s, the hotel was sold to Jake and Florence Prosser. View Charles Barber obituary in the Livingston Republican May 8, 1901 edition. in library use only.
Charles Richardson and his wife Hattie acquired the hotel from the Prosser’s on January 20th, 1920. Charles and Hattie lived on East Washington Street in 1920, the census listing no employment for either of them. As owners of the Inn, they rented rooms and served meals, and it was convenient to railroad passengers boarding or deboarding at the Pere Marquette Depot. In the 1930 census, the Richardson’s still "owned" the hotel which was valued at $3000. Charles died in 1934 at age 67 of heart problems. Hattie remarried a couple years later to Dwight Humphrey who died two years later. Hattie was found in the 1940 census with relatives in Mason, Michigan and working as a dressmaker. Hattie died in 1947. There are not mentions of Richardson's in the 1940's newspapers. The hotel went through several different owners, and it's not clear if the hotel remained open as a hotel.
By 1952, Richardson’s Inn was owned by James and Mabel Munroe who rented apartments. Mabel continued to rent apartments after 1957 when James died at home. In 1976, the property was owned by Jack Elder. There are mentions in the Livingston County Press of the property being owned by an attorney from Birmingham, Michigan Austin Howard, and it being exterminated for a rat problem, likely related to the location of Cole's Elevator across the tracks. Richardson's was razed around 1987 after some arsonists set it on fire in February 1987.