The Filer Home

ARCHITECT: Unknown
CONSTRUCTED: Circa early 1860s

This is Manistee’s finest remaining Greek Revival home, built in the early 1860s by D.L. Filer. Filer was one of the pioneer residents of Manistee who served the town in various roles (i.e. lawyer, doctor, etc.) previous to 1860. In 1863, Filer sold the home to William Moore who built the addition on the rear of the home.

In October 1871, the Great Fire destroyed a sizeable portion of the city but luckily, this unique home survived. During this time, the house was owned by Horace Green and upon the visitation of his brother and pregnant sister-in-law, a baby boy, Fred, was born. Fred Green would grow up to become the 32nd Governor of the State of Michigan.

The house was later owned by Edward Buckley, who later went on, like Filer, to become a prosperous lumberman.

As of 2016, the home is undergoing extensive restorations. The renovations look to preserve much of the historic integrity that was present in the early 1860s at the time of its original construction.