BARNES-MCCOY
410 Jackson Street

1924 Craftsman
Home Tour 2001

Although this home is located in the original part of Grand Ledge, which was platted in 1854, Franklin Street remained relatively undeveloped until the 1920s.

This lot originally was part of the James D. and Augusta Summers property.  Their beautiful Italianate-style house is still standing at 520 East Jefferson.  In April 1921 the Summers sold Lot 1 and part of Lot 10 in Block 46 to LeRoy and Blanche Patterson.  The Pattersons combined parts of Lots1 and 10 and sold that parcel to Dwight and Lola Barnes in February 1924. Dwight Dee Barnes built the attractive home at 316 Franklin that same year. On August 15, 1924 The Grand Ledge Independent briefly stated that  Mr. and Mrs. D. Barnes moved into their new home on Franklin Street.

One of the striking features of this home is the wonderful woodwork, still original and stripped and refinished downstairs by the Pell family.  The house is structurally the same as when it was built, with some minor exceptions.  The downstairs bathroom might have been a porch—you can feel the step down as you walk into the room.  You can still see the old doorknobs and heat registers dating back to the 1920s. 

Dwight Barnes was born at Leslie, Michigan Oct. 4, 1880, the son of Edward and Margaret Barnes.  He was a contractor in Grand Ledge for many years, and was known for his skill as a mason. In the early 1920s his business really took off, and he bought a number of lots around town, including several here on Franklin Street.  He died July 25, 1942.  His obituary stated .much of the best cement work in the city was laid under his direction.  He was especially skilled at working with stucco.  It was said that if Dee Barnes did your stucco, it would not crack, as stucco is prone to do.  He married Lola Ann Burrier.  She was born December 15, 1872 at Seneca County, New York.  She was the daughter of David Burrier and Esther Murray.  The family moved here when Lola was a young girl.  She died at the age of eighty-six in November 1959.

In October 1925 Dwight and Lola Barnes sold their house to Roy and Irvia Rowland. The Grand Ledge Independent October 30, 1925 explained the transaction:  Roy Rowland has exchanged his duplex house at 507 South Bridge Street with Dee Barnes for his Franklin Street property, and is now moving into the same.  Mr. and Mrs. Barnes plan to leave soon for a visit to Mississippi and on their return will erect a new house on a lot recently bought of Walter Flitton. Mr. and Mrs. Barnes apparently liked the neighborhood because the lot they bought from Mr. Flitton was also on Franklin Street.  Records at the Register of Deeds office show that the lot was on Block 44, just down the street (Liber 208 pg. 139).

Roy Rowland was born September 11, 1875 in Eagle Township.  His parents were Homer and Rachel (Goodrich) Rowland.  He married Irvia Bush in November 1900.  Roy Rowland died on July 5, 1957 at the age of eighty-one at his home on Pearl Street. The Rowlands lived in the house at #316 for a period of time, and then they moved and rented out their Franklin Street house.

In 1935 the Gilmore family rented the house.  George Gilmore was an engineer with General Motors.  He was transferred to this area from the Three Rivers area with his wife Neva and son John, who was about four years old.  Grand Ledge resident Minnie (Wolodko) Kingsley lived with the Gilmore family in the fall of 1935.  Her family lived in the country, and Minnie did housework and baby sitting for the Gilmore family in exchange for room and board so that she could attend Grand Ledge High School; many children from outlying farms did the same in order to complete their high school education. 

The next resident of the home was Dr. Earl McCoy and his wife Esther.  They might have rented the house for a couple of years before buying it—the Warranty Deed was transferred from the Rowlands to the McCoys in December 1943, but city phone books list the McCoys at this address in 1937.   Earl M. McCoy was born in Grandville Michigan October 15, 1881, the son of Marcus H. and Ida Carmen McCoy.  After high school he attended Detroit Medical College (now Wayne State University) and graduated with his medical degree in 1902.  He worked at Harper Hospital in Detroit, had a practice in Grand Rapids, and was appointed Superintendent of the Michigan State Sanitarium for tuberculosis.  In 1911 he came to Grand Ledge and established a long-time practice here, except for the years when he served in the United States Army during World War I.  Dr. McCoy used the front room of the house, now the living room, as an informal office; his practice was in the Alexander building on East Jefferson, just a short walk from his home.   He married Esther Finkbiner on August 16, 1919.  Esther was born in Casanova Michigan on January 22, 1894 and moved here when she married Dr. McCoy.  The McCoys had no children.  Esther died September 29, 1953 while under anesthetic before surgery at a hospital in Lansing.  She was active in the Episcopal Church, the American Legion, and the Eastern Star in the Grand Ledge community.  Dr. McCoy stayed on in the house, and also was active in the community.  He belonged to the Masons and American Legion; he loved the outdoors and enjoyed hunting and fishing.  Earl McCoy died of heart disease at the age of seventy-six on August 21, 1958 at his home.  He and Esther were buried at White Chapel Cemetery in Birmingham, Michigan. 

In his will, Dr. McCoy bequeathed his Franklin Street home to his sister, Inez McCoy.  She was born Feb. 21, 1893 in Grandville.  She never married.  Inez moved here from Grand Rapids and lived in the house for most of the rest of her life, until her health forced her to sell the house in 1975.  She then moved to the Eaton County Care Facility in Charlotte, where she passed away on January 30, 1978 at the age of eighty-four.  She was buried in her hometown of Grandville, Michigan.

Dale and Ferne Bills bought the house from Inez McCoy; the Warranty Deed was transferred December 24, 1975. Jean Bills Green recalls that her parents bought the house and lived there for only a couple of years.  The house was in poor condition at that time, and Dale Bills worked on repairs and updates during the years they were there.  Dale Bills and Ferne North were both natives of Grand Ledge.  They married May 27, 1922.  Dale and his father, A.J. Bills, operated an auto sales and garage in downtown Grand Ledge from 1920-1935.  From 1937-1947 he operated Bills Electric. He owned the Evergreen Gardens Nursery for six years.  Then he owned Bills Marine for thirteen years before he retired.  He was active in civic affairs, serving as a city councilman.  Ferne was an elementary school teacher for many years until she retired in 1963.  The Bills lived in the Franklin Street house until 1979, when they moved to 325 South Clinton.

David and Margo Pell bought the home in October 1979, according to the Warranty Deed transfer.  The Pells moved here from Lansing.  They have fond memories of their years in the house.  They continued the repairs and updates begun by the Bills.  They put new windows in the front of the house.  They stripped all of the woodwork on the first floor of the house.  They put new parquet flooring in the dining room and redecorated.  They put up new ceilings in the front two rooms and upstairs.  They remodeled both bathrooms.  They took out what was a little storage room upstairs in the back bedroom and created a walk-in closet.  They put in new kitchen appliances, new carpet, wiring, roof and insulation.  They sold the house in August 1990, shortly before they retired in 1991. 

The next owners of the house were Scott and Sarah Dixon.  Scott was assistant pastor at the Baptist Church.  They owned the house for about four years.

Jeff Anderson was the next owner of the house.  He sold he house in 2001 and moved to northern Michigan.

The current owners, Dan and Kacy Goeckel, bought the house in May 2001. They have put new carpet in the living room.  They redecorated and remodeled the kitchen. Kacy's father installed a wooden countertop and wood floor.  The breakfast area features a table, built by Dave Westfall, built in the style of a New England tavern table.  They have redone the downstairs bathroom, which features a reproduction old-fashioned toilet.  In the dining room, they painted and stenciled the walls, and refinished the wood floor.  Kacy's father built the sideboard and the entertainment center. They removed the upstairs carpet and refinished the wood floors. They have also added a new furnace, and a new garage.  They have decorated the home in a warm, comfortable country style, with family keepsakes and antiques.  One special feature is their extensive Christmas collection-delightful whatever the season.  They have accomplished a great deal in the few months they have been in the house, bringing their own style and talents to the task.