The Mead Home

This Queen Anne style home was built in 1887 by Dr. Richard Mead, prominent physician and surgeon, and his wife Jennie A. Mead. Described at the time as a home of "quiet elegance," it still showcases fine Victorian workmanship and design. Born in New York in 1839, Mead graduated from Hobart College in 1863 and immediately was commissioned in the army during the Civil War, receiving an appointment as first assistant surgeon. After the war Mead accepted an appointment as a civil surgeon at the Grant General Hospital in New York. Dr. Mead and his wife, Jennie, arrived in Manistee in the 1870s and later purchased the lot on the corner of First and Maple streets where this elegant home still stands. Built by local contractor R.J.B. Newcombe, the home was converted into a rooming house in the late 1940s. After 50 plus years as a rooming house, the house was restored to a single-family home.