Hillsdale college alums Duane and Bev Taylor received a preservation award for improvements on their historic 19th century home on State Road in a reception at the Will Carleton Poorhouse hosted by the Hillsdale County Historical Society Monday. During their annual Renovation, Preservation, and Beautification awards, members of the historical society gave awards to the Taylors and to the Hillsdale Rotary Club for projects that revitalize pieces of Hillsdale’s history.
The couple bought the home in 1971, and after purchasing the house, Duane Taylor asked his wife, “Should we bulldoze it and build a new one?”
Bev Taylor suggested that the cobblestone house — which was built in 1853 by Lewis Emery on a land grant from President Martin van Buren — should be renovated instead.
“I love the history,” Bev Taylor said. “It needed to be preserved.”
“The windows were single-paned. I remember playing bridge with a couple of my buddies and feeling the breeze coming in through the windows,” Duane Taylor said.
The Taylors installed a new well and replaced windows and insulation. They preserved the original white wood floors and restored deteriorating stone in the spring house and kitchen.
“It’s been a labor of love,” Bev Taylor said.
Both for the Taylors and members of the Hillsdale Historical Society, the Taylors’ home is a subject of further historical research.
“I love the history,” said Michael Braman, a member of the award selection committee and the board of the Hillsdale County Historical Society. “I get to do a bit of research on the projects, and with these awards we’re able to show our appreciation.”
When a question arose about the house’s use in the Civil War, reception attendees erupted into conversation, volunteering information about U.S. cavalry tack found in the barn, suggesting that the house was used as an army camp in the Civil War.
The Hillsdale Historical Society also awarded the Hillsdale Rotary Club with the beautification award for repairing Sandy Beach at Baw Beese Lake. Since 2010, the Hillsdale Rotary Club has reinforced the beach with 650 tons of sand, rebuilt the concessions building, and installed new playground equipment, said Richard Moore, chairman of the development project. The club also plans to build new basketball and volleyball courts, improve landscaping, and reroute the road around the lake.
“People from all walks of life are benefiting from this,” Moore said. “That’s what we wanted: something the entire community will use for generations.”
“My wife and I go out there on Sunday afternoons,” Braman said. “We bring the grandkids and have a great time. There are lots of other families out there enjoying it.”
