Forsyth in Rosebud County, Montana — The American West (Mountains)
Meredith Residence
Forsyth Residential Historic District
Photographed By Barry Swackhamer, September 14, 2020
1. Meredith Residence Marker
Inscription.
Meredith Residence. Forsyth Residential Historic District. Carpenter Gustav Hoff purchased this lot in 1900, and sometime before 1920 he built this one-story, hipped roof house, likely as an investment. Robert “Shorty” Meredith and his wife Mary bought the residence in 1920 for $2,500. The couple had moved to Forsyth four years earlier; shortly thereafter, Shorty found work at Sickler’s Garage as a mechanic. He is credited with assembling the first twenty-five Ford cars to enter Rosebud County. As was typical for the time, the Merediths paid half the cost of the house up front. Large down payments and five- year mortgages were standard before 1934. That year, the government created the Federal Housing Administration, a New Deal agency that tried to stimulate the economy by aiding potential homebuyers. In 1931, the Merediths hired two men to hand dig a basement and install a rock foundation for $500. Sometime after 1941, they enclosed the front porch to provide much needed room for their large family. Mary raised eight children before her death in 1967. Shorty lived here into the 1980s.
Carpenter Gustav Hoff purchased this lot in 1900, and sometime before 1920 he built this one-story, hipped roof house, likely as an investment. Robert “Shorty” Meredith and his wife Mary bought the residence in 1920 for $2,500. The couple had moved to Forsyth four years earlier; shortly thereafter, Shorty found work at Sickler’s Garage as a mechanic. He is credited with assembling the first twenty-five Ford cars to enter Rosebud County. As was typical for the time, the Merediths paid half the cost of the house up front. Large down payments and five- year mortgages were standard before 1934. That year, the government created the Federal Housing Administration, a New Deal agency that tried to stimulate the economy by aiding potential homebuyers. In 1931, the Merediths hired two men to hand dig a basement and install a rock foundation for $500. Sometime after 1941, they enclosed the front porch to provide much needed room for their large family. Mary raised eight children before her death in 1967. Shorty lived here into the 1980s.
46° 16.194′ N, 106° 40.692′ W. Marker is in Forsyth, Montana, in Rosebud County. Marker is on North 12th Avenue near Park Street, on the left when traveling north. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 440 North 12th Avenue, Forsyth MT 59327, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Photographed By Barry Swackhamer, September 14, 2020
2. Meredith Residence and Marker
Credits. This page was last revised on January 17, 2021. It was originally submitted on January 17, 2021, by Barry Swackhamer of Brentwood, California. This page has been viewed 100 times since then and 6 times this year. Photos:1, 2. submitted on January 17, 2021, by Barry Swackhamer of Brentwood, California.
