21. Gill House

In the spring of 1873, The Lakeside Company gave a verbal contract to George Wood of Toledo and Frank Miller of the Marblehead Peninsula to build ten cottages.  The cottages were board and batten style construction with front porches on both the first and second floors.  In August of 1873, it was decided to “finish” three of the cottages with plasterboard.  Four cottages were finished before the first Lakeside camp meeting in 1873 and the other six were finished in 1874.  This cottage was one of the first three cottages finished in 1873 with plasterboard.

Samuel Richard Gill was one of the founders of The Lakeside Company and served as its secretary for nearly 30 years. He was born in Ottawa County in 1845 and died there in 1916.  Samuel married Mary Clendinnen Alexander on January 12, 1875 and they had three sons; Samuel Vincent Gill, Robert Alexander Gill and William Payne Gill.

Samuel and Mary moved to 222 Central about a year after they were married and lived here until 1900.  Their three sons were born and raised in this house. Sometime prior to 1884 to accommodate their growing family, the Gills added an addition to the north side of the house with more bedrooms.

The Lakeside Company sold a lease to Mary Gill for the house in 1888 and in 1914, Mary and S.R. Gill sold the house to William and Ella Baldwin.  There have been 12 owners of the property since the Baldwin’s.

Over the years, owners removed the batons and had the house sided with wood shingles. A modern kitchen addition also was added to the rear of the house.