Plymouth Historical Museum offers tours of Wilcox House
A bit of romance and a hint of scandal will be included along with 124 years of history during the upcoming tour of a landmark home in Plymouth.
Mr. Markham built the 17-room residence, not for his wife, Carrie, and two children, but for a his 19-year-old mistress, Blanche Shortman, a secretary he had hired shortly after her graduation from high school.
Mr. Markham spared no expense at the home. Originally, in the side yard, a continuously flowing fountain spilled over into a large reflection pool. A pergola, deer a gazebo and statuary were focal points on the extensively landscaped grounds. The grounds also proudly displayed exotic plants, unusual trees and rare shrubs that Mr. Markham imported from around the world, including Amabilis Peonies, and Ginkgo, Black Magnolia and Copper Beech trees.
Mr. Markham lived in the home quite openly with his mistress for nine years, as his wife would not agree to a divorce, due, she claimed, to her strong Christian beliefs. He built the huge house facing the town square in clear sight of his former family home and following his wife’s death, he married his mistress. Townspeople shunned and insulted the couple, according to historical reports which claim that local mothers would instruct their children to turn their backs to “that hussy” when they encountered her on the streets. She became the target of rocks thrown by local children and mistreatment. The shutters on the second floor of the front porch were installed to provide privacy because passersby would point their fingers and hiss when they saw her relaxing in her porch swing.
The cruel treatment of his wife by his former neighbors, and reported diminishing business profits, prompted Mr. Markham to sell the house in 1911 and move to California where he purchased land which later became Hollywood. Upon his death in the late 1920s, Mr. Markham was estimated to be worth about $25 million in today’s valuation.
George and Harriet Wilcox bought the home from Mr. Markham in 1911. According to historical reports, on the first day in his new home, George Wilcox took a hammer to the wrought iron “M” (for Markham) in the grill work over the front gate, removed it, and reinstalled it as a “W” (for Wilcox) where it identified many subsequent years of ownership by the Wilcox family. George and Harriet raised three children in the house, Julia, Katherine and Johnston (Jack). The family owned the home for nearly 90 years. The “W” remains in the front gate today.
During World War II, the home was leased to the federal government as a residence for war workers. The interior was converted into apartments and most of the special millwork and extensive landscaping was removed. When Jack Wilcox returned from Navy duty after the war, he bought back the lease from the government and continued to operate the apartments. He did most of the extensive maintenance work himself and was able to acquire nearby real estate with the eye to eventual consolidation and development of the downtown location.
In 1985, after consulting several different developers, Wilcox chose a group to build a condominium project. That venture failed to acquire financing and was finally settled by litigation. Mr. Wilcox re-acquired clear ownership of the landmark home again in 1989. Wilcox then entered into another agreement with a separate local builder to develop the condominium project. The exterior of the house was redone and a new roof was installed, new redwood siding was applied (6 linear miles at 40 cents a foot), new front pillars were handmade and attached, Thermopane windows were installed, and the original 10-foot stained-glass window was reinstalled along with many new pieces of wood trim copied from the originals.
Before his death in 2000, Mr. Wilcox had a vision that his estate should be invested in the Plymouth community. He established the Wilcox Charitable Trust in 1980, later becoming The Wilcox Foundation, which currently funds multiple civic projects and provides seed money for charities in the community.
The Plymouth Historic Museum will host a guided tour of the historic Wilcox House June 1. The tour will be guided by Frank Cozza, who will portray William “Phil” Markham. Samantha Joseph will portray Blanche Shortman during the tours set for 1, 2, 3 and 4 p.m. Tickets are priced at $20 and sold for the individual time slots. The tours last about one hour.
Tickets for the tour are priced at $20 and are now on sale to the public. Organizers cautioned that the event is expected to sell out quickly.
The tour is sponsored by Ernie Hughes and First Financial Strategies.
The Wilcox House is located at 676 Penniman Ave. in downtown Plymouth. Tickets are available at Plymouth Historical Museum, 155 S. Main St., Plymouth, MI 48170.
For more information, call (734) 455-8940 or email secretary@plymouthhistory.org
