A Michigan Thumb Landmark – The Garfield Inn
The name of the “Garfield Inn” is really a misnomer. The 20th President of the United States, James Garfield, did not build or own the landmark 1850s Inn in Port Austin Michigan. But he was a rather frequent visitor. The fascinating history of the Inn really resides with the family that built the house, Charles and Maria Learned. Information was found in an article published in 1884 which serves to give a fascinating story of the man who built the mansion.
Charles Learned – Huron County’s Pioneer Developer
Charles Learned started his career as a businessman in 1835, at the age of 18. He took a contract in his father’s name to build one mile of the aqueduct on the waterworks of the city of New York, at Dobbs’ Ferry. When he became of age he had made his first $10,000. He was one of the builders of the Erie Canal and constructed two tunnels on the Boston waterworks; also five miles of the aqueduct.
Learned invested in the building of the Harlem Railroad near Croton Falls, N.Y., and in other similar enterprises until 1859. In addition to his operations as a contractor, he was also invested for a period of five years in farming and lumbering at West Troy, where he owned lumber yards; he also controlled a sawmill in Rensselaer Co., New York.
A Booming Lumbering Business in Michigan’s Thumb
Charles’s first knowledge of the pine tracts of the Huron peninsula was obtained in 1857, during a trip to Port Austin to buy lumber. Smith & Dwight, of Detroit, who were conducting milling operations in Michigan. The outlook impressed him as promising, and in company with his brother-in-law, Fredrick S. Ayres, of West Troy New York, he purchased several thousand acres of pineland. Later, he sold the fourth interest to Ebenezer Wiswall.
A sawmill had already been erected on the tract purchased, and they entered largely into the manufacture of lumber, with yards for wholesale and retail traffic at Sandusky, Ohio. As the county developed, the firm extended its business relations, sunk the first salt well in this county, and engaged in mercantile enterprises.
In 1871 Charles sold his business to E. R. Ayres but retained 2,000 acres, on which he raised various crops. He employed three general managers on his farms and employed about 20 men. His dairy herd included 30 cows including Jerseys, Short-horns, Holsteins, and Ayrshires. He had a thoroughbred Jersey bull, registered “Exquisite,” which he purchased in Pittsfield, Mass. A fine grade of butter from his dairy was shipped to Detroit and Philadelphia.
An Elegant Estate in the Edge of the Wilderness
The Inn’s beginnings started as an outcome of the profits of the lumber industry. The description from an 1884 bio of Learned noted, “The village property of Charles Learned at Port Austin includes an elegant residence with grounds attached, containing three acres and worth $12,000. (~$300,000 today), Adjacent barns are situated on an additional three acres and six tenant houses and a number of lots. He also owns 2,000 acres of land in Tuscola County, located in the neighborhood of the Halfway House, between Sebewaing and Bay City, where they keep a number of cattle.”
With profits from his lumbering and farming enterprises Learned enlarged and updated this house in the French Second Empire style. In the 1860s Ohio congressman, later president, James A. Garfield, a family friend, was a frequent guest here.
Whispered Secrets of President Garfield
Garfield was a friend of Maria Learned, Charles’ wife. Garfield’s close association with the Learned family and his devotion to Maria were documented in his personal diary. Garfield and Maria died within months of each other, she in January 1881 of tuberculosis and, he from an assassin’s bullet in September 1881 after only six months as president. As Garfield lay mortally ill, he asked to be allowed to travel to Port Austin and recover in the Learned home. That same month the devastation of the Great Fire of 1881 occurred in Huron County.
A Grand Port Austin Inn
From 1931 to 1979 the house served as the Mayes Inn and Tower Hotel. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1984. It was bought by the Pasant family in 1989 who renamed the Bed & Breakfast the Garfield Inn in honor of the connection between the Learned’s and President James Garfield.
Is the Garfield Inn Open in 2022?
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In May of 2019, the Huron Daily Tribune reported that the Garfield Inn Bed and Breakfast was assigned an assumed name by Teresa Erikson.
It appears that the Inn is now a seasonal B&B. We will have to confirm that.
In a travel review of the establishment, it appears that the Inn has been reopened as a B&B. One reviewer noted, ” She , spent time with us telling about the History of this beautiful B & B, and was very accommodating. The home itself is decorated superbly in Victorian decor and our room on the 2nd floor was a lovely dark blue with silver accents. We had all the amenities, including candy and a Keurig Coffee pot so we could have coffee early. The breakfast was very delicious and the presentation was impressive. She even played the piano and the organ as we ate.”
Another review from September 2021 stated “Even though the Inn was full the rooms were quiet, clean and peaceful. And the breakfast would challenge the finest hotel…”
The former restaurant and bar are not in operation.
Frequently Asked Questions About The Garfield Inn Port Austin
Did President James Garfield Own the Garfield Inn?
Is the Garfield Inn Haunted?
How is the Garfield Inn Rated?
Related Reading About Garfield Inn MI
8 Things You Might Not Know About President James Garfield – Because of his premature death at the hands of murderer Charles Guiteau in 1881, the 20th President of the United States, James Garfield, spent only seven months, the second-shortest term behind William Henry Harrison. He was a civil war veteran and never wanted to pursue the Presidency.
Ship Building in Caseville Michigan – In 1861 Francais Crawford built a lake schooner. The “Frank Crawford was a large masted schooner that plied the waters all over the Great Lakes in the late 1800s.
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The Fascinating Art of Scott Hocking – The grey timber looks warped and wrapped. The old planks, taken from the virgin forests that once dominated the thumb have been intertwined. What was once a working farm building is now an art form. It sits among debris from decades of agriculture work.
4 Top-Ranked Places To Stay Near Caseville Michigan – Caseville is a great town to spend a bit of vacation time. The area offers a wide range of accommodations. From romantic rooming at a bed & breakfast, cozy cottages, to beachfront suites, there is accommodation for a long weekend to a month of vacation days. As a year-round destination, we looked for the top places to stay in Caseville.
