E.A. Cornwell Residence

E.A. Cornwell Residence. Forsyth Residential Historic District. “E. A. Cornwell, the popular Forsyth merchant and banker, will move this week into the first cement block house ever built in Forsyth,” reported the Forsyth Times on October 3, 1907. “It is fitted with steam throughout, electric lighted, and modern in every convenience.” Relatively new technology in 1907, cement blocks cost less than wood or stone, came in a variety of finishes, and were easier to lay than brick. According to local mason and cement block manufacturer Carson Conn, the material was “the warmest in winter; the coolest in summer. Guaranteed against frost and dampness.” Nevertheless, in Forsyth the material was mainly used for foundations. In fact, Forsyth’s only other cement block home was that of prominent merchant E. A. Richardson, Cornwell’s uncle and employer. Clearly a fan of the new technology, Richardson owned the land on which this house was built and may have had some say in the home’s design. In 1909, Richardson transferred the title to Cornwell, who lived here with his wife, Edith, into the 1920s. . This historical marker was erected by Montana Historical Society. It is in Forsyth in Rosebud County Montana