931 Caledonia

931 Caledonia at right; 935-39 at left.

Built: 1900
Map 

Miner John Trevithick worked at the Leonard Mine in Meaderville when he built this one-story brick home in 1900. Such five-room, L-shaped dwellings provided affordable, attractive residences for many Butte miners. Front polygonal bays and mass-produced decorative detailing provided visual interest to the small Queen Anne style cottages. Trevithick stayed here only briefly before selling the house to longtime residents Fred and Clara Rowe, who lived here into the 1950s. Like Trevithick, Fred Rowe also worked in the copper industry, but mostly he managed to stay above ground. He was a storekeeper at the B and B Smelter when he and his wife purchased the residence in 1905. In later years, he worked as a foreman at the precipitation plant, where crews recovered copper from water pumped out of the mines. The Rowes, who raised three children in this home, added the second story in 1909. The addition's exposed rafters reflect the Craftsman style, which was fast replacing Queen Anne in popularity.

See also this Butte History post about the Hancock family.

Resources: Historical plaque by Montana Historical Society. Photo by Richard I. Gibson.