Saginaw in Saginaw County, Michigan — The American Midwest (Great Lakes)
Benjamin and Adelaide Cushway / The Cushway House
Photographed By Joel Seewald, August 28, 2021
1. Benjamin and Adelaide Cushway / The Cushway House Marker — side 1
Inscription.
Benjamin and Adelaide Cushway, also, The Cushway House. .
Benjamin and Adelaide Cushway. Benjamin (1810-1881) and Adelaide (1812-1877) Cushway (formerly Cauchois) were prominent settlers in the Saginaw Valley. Both descended from early French-Canadian families of Detroit. Between 1827 and 1834, Benjamin apprenticed with Harvey Williams of Detroit, a notable blacksmith. Benjamin and Adelaide married in 1833. In 1834, three years before Michigan achieved statehood, Territorial Governor Lewis Cass (1782-1866) appointed Benjamin official blacksmith to the Chppewa (Ojibwa) Indians at the Saginaw Indian Agency. Cushway served in that capacity until 1866. In 1844 the Cushways built this house, which originally stood within Fort Saginaw, an abandoned military post.
The Cushway House. The oldest surviving residence in Saginaw County was erected by two of its prominent settlers. In 1844, Benjamin and Adelaide Cushway built this house one-half mile northwest of here, near what is now the intersection of Court and Hamilton Streets. The house was moved twice, once in 1867 and again in 2001. The broken pediment at the roofline, the entrance with classical pilasters that flank the door and support the entablature above, and the simple exterior are hallmarks of the Greek Revival style, fashionable at the time. While built by Americans of French-Canadian descent, the Cushway House was subsequently owned by the Vogts and Nacaratos, families of German and Italian ancestry , a testimony to the diverse ethnic makeup of the Saginaw Valley.
Benjamin and Adelaide Cushway
Benjamin (1810-1881) and Adelaide (1812-1877) Cushway (formerly Cauchois) were prominent settlers in the Saginaw Valley. Both descended from early French-Canadian families of Detroit. Between 1827 and 1834, Benjamin apprenticed with Harvey Williams of Detroit, a notable blacksmith. Benjamin and Adelaide married in 1833. In 1834, three years before Michigan achieved statehood, Territorial Governor Lewis Cass (1782-1866) appointed Benjamin official blacksmith to the Chppewa (Ojibwa) Indians at the Saginaw Indian Agency. Cushway served in that capacity until 1866. In 1844 the Cushways built this house, which originally stood within Fort Saginaw, an abandoned military post.
The Cushway House
The oldest surviving residence in Saginaw County was erected by two of its prominent settlers. In 1844, Benjamin and Adelaide Cushway built this house one-half mile northwest of here, near what is now the intersection of Court and Hamilton Streets. The house was moved twice, once in 1867 and again in 2001. The broken pediment at the roofline, the entrance with classical pilasters that flank the door and support the entablature above, and the simple exterior are hallmarks of the Greek Revival style, fashionable at the time. While built by Americans of French-Canadian
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descent, the Cushway House was subsequently owned by the Vogts and Nacaratos, families of German and Italian ancestry — a testimony to the diverse ethnic makeup of the Saginaw Valley.
Erected 2005 by Michigan Historical Commission — Michigan History Center. (Marker Number L183.)
Location. 43° 24.656′ N, 83° 57.665′ W. Marker is in Saginaw, Michigan, in Saginaw County. Marker is at the intersection of Fordney Street and Rust Avenue, on the right when traveling north on Fordney Street. Marker is in Frank N. Andersen Celebration Park and is reachable from the parking lot (park entrance is on Fordney Street). Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 1830 Fordney Street, Saginaw MI 48601, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Also see . . . Michigan MPS Cushway, Benjamin, House. From the National Register of Historic Places Nomination Form: "...this home was one of the more comfortable and finely built structures within the fort [Fort Saginaw]. It is, in fact, the only structure known to be moved from the fort before it was razed in 1869 to provide land for the construction of the Hotel Fordney. Thus, this house is the sole surviving link to the 'first wave' of immigration to Saginaw..." (Submitted on August 30, 2021, by Joel Seewald of Madison Heights, Michigan.)
Photographed By Joel Seewald, August 28, 2021
3. Benjamin and Adelaide Cushway / The Cushway House Marker
Photographed By Joel Seewald, August 28, 2021
4. The Cushway House
Credits. This page was last revised on April 15, 2022. It was originally submitted on August 29, 2021, by Joel Seewald of Madison Heights, Michigan. This page has been viewed 299 times since then and 48 times this year. Photos:1, 2, 3, 4. submitted on August 29, 2021, by Joel Seewald of Madison Heights, Michigan.
