Edwards Residence

Edwards Residence. Forsyth Residential Historic District. Distinctive pointed-arched, Gothic style windows and a decorative three-story square tower, tucked in the L of the cross-gable, originally distinguished this unique residence, constructed between 1896 and 1903. In March 1903, John and Julia Edwards purchased the home, where they lived with their children into the 1920s. The Edwardses remodeled the residence, removing the tower and replacing the Gothic windows by 1910. The outline of the doorway to the cupola is still visible in an upstairs bedroom. By 1920, the Edwards had also expanded the living room and added an attached garage with a bedroom and sun porch above. John Edwards arrived in Montana in 1890 as foreman of a cross country cattle drive. He and his family moved to Forsyth in 1902, where he became president of the Bank of Commerce, vice president of Richardson Mercantile, and served as state senator. Despite remarkable business and political success, he ultimately lost his fortune. He died almost destitute in 1925. The house suffered neglect in later years but recent owners repaired the residence, including restoring the original hardwood floors.