William R. Stafford House

Stafford House in 1972

William R. Stafford was born in 1828 on a farm in Bath, New Hampshire. He apprenticed as a cabinet maker, and moved to Lexington, Michigan in 1849, gaining employment with Woods and Sanburn, general merchants. In 1853, he went into business for himself. He soon invested in the local lumber resources, and moved to what is now Port Hope in 1857, one of the first pioneers in the area. He bought or took out lumber claims on a great deal of the surrounding timberland. In 1858, a lumber mill was built and men moved into the area to work in the mill.[2]

As the lumber business boomed, the town of Port Hope began to grow around the mill. Stafford also operated one of the largest and most complete salt blocks in the state, making his fortune shipping both salt and lumber. In 1866, Stafford began to construct this house in Port Hope. The house took two years to complete, and the Staffords moved in on Christmas Eve, 1868. The house stayed in the family, passing on 1936 to Mr. & Mrs. Reginald Smith; Mrs. Smith was the granddaughter of William Stafford.[2]

The Stafford House is a two-story Italianate structure with a three-story central cupola. The house has decorative cornices and architrave trim surrounding the double-hung sash windows. The front facade has a long porch running across and a bay window. The interior contains spacious rooms, including a parlor on the first floor and a child's room on the second.[2]