Peckham House

 As word began spreading around town that the Peckham house had been sold and was being repainted, the obvious question to some was “What is the Peckham house?”

The Peckham House is at 430 East Main and was built by Mr. Robert Flanagan in 1896. Robert Flanagan came to Lowell in 1882, worked at the Lowell Manufacturing Company, and then partnered with A.H. Peckham to start the Lowell Cutter Company. He helped organize the City State Bank and was director until his death in 1915. Robert’s wife Harriet died in 1901, and Flanagan moved to Grand Rapids. Meanwhile, his partner’s son, Herman Algernon “Gernie” Peckham had married Hattie Wilson in 1895, and the young couple were living in Lowell. In 1903 Gernie and Hattie bought the home from Flanagan.

This was now the Peckham house. The house saw changes with the young family moving in. Hattie Peckham was a musician and brought her grand piano with her. Gernie turned the dining room into a music room for the piano. The music room had parquetry floors and along the top of the walls was a border of angels playing musical instruments scattered along in a mist cloud effect. The lighting was from a chandelier with five cut glass pointed globes.

The entire interior of the home was impressive, it featured high-quality woodwork, sliding pocket doors, and beautiful floors throughout. In 1908 two men came from Chicago to redecorate the State Bank and the Methodist Church. Orton Hill and Gernie Peckham hired them to decorate their homes. The house also contained two staircases. The front stairway had two landings as it wound its way upstairs. Four bedrooms were located upstairs, including a room for a live-in maid.

The Peckham family was very involved in the community. Gernie was secretary and treasurer of the Lowell Cutter Company, vice president and a director of the Lowell State Bank, secretary of the Lowell Board of Trade, secretary of the Lowell Building & Loan Association, village trustee, and secretary and treasurer of the Congregational Church. Hattie served in many local charitable and social organizations.

Tragedy struck in March of 1911 when Gernie, only 39 years old, had an appendix attack while in Chicago, though at the time the cause of his ailment was unknown. He returned home and saw Dr McDonnell who went with him by train to the hospital in Grand Rapids. His appendix had burst and despite surgery, the doctors were not able to save his life. On the day of the funeral, a flag, a gift from the Cutter Company, was hung at half-mast at City Hall. When the train arrived with his body from Grand Rapids, the business places were closed and the townspeople met the train and walked as an honor guard to the home. A large crowd attended the funeral at the home, too many to fit in the home. Though there were snowflakes in the air, many people had to stand on the porch and even in the front yard.

Despite her love of music, Hattie requested that there be no singing at the funeral and she never sang solos again. While it was still used for piano lessons, the piano was later moved into an entrance room.

Hattie continued to live in the Peckham house with her three small children, including an infant. She never remarried. Not only did all three children graduate from the University of Michigan, but they also excelled in life.

Thelma was the first woman in Lowell to receive a driver’s license. She married Robert Hahn, owner of Hahn Grocery, in the Peckham house. After living at the Peckham house with Hattie for six years after their marriage, they built their home next door. Thelma’s love was preserving history. She compiled the first history of Lowell, published in 1931 for the centennial celebration. In addition, she left many writings on various topics. Thelma was very creative, writing a piece from the perspective of her parents’ grand piano, which gave an illuminating description of the Peckham House interior. Bob and Thelma’s children were a son, Gurney, and two daughters, Roberta and Gretchen. Thelma’s descendants still live in the Lowell area.

Victor graduated from University of Michigan Law School and was a patent lawyer. He moved to the Pittsburgh area and married Vernie Holmes, and they had 4 children.

As a child Howard was a musician in the Boy Scout band organized by R.E. Springett. He married Dorothy Koth, and they had two children, Stephen and Angela. Howard worked as curator of manuscripts of the William L. Clements Library at the University of Michigan and then was appointed as director of the Indiana Historical Bureau at Indianapolis. Howard authored 21 books and countless booklets and pamphlets. His goal was to preserve the history found in original sources and manuscripts but in updated and understandable language.

Hattie was the last Peckham in the home, dying after a stroke in 1959. Following her death the house sat empty for six years and then was sold.

Over the years there were many owners of the Peckham house. The house was even divided into two apartments for a while. In 1999 local businessman Roger Cahoon bought the house and made it a boarding house, fulfilling his vision of providing affordable living quarters in Lowell. Roger and his friend Greg Canfield, Lowell businessman and benefactor, both shared an appreciation for pudding stones. Roger would give Greg pudding stones to add to his collection. With Roger’s health decline and eventual death, Greg stopped at the Peckham house one day to help out by mowing the grass. As he mowed, he saw a pudding stone in the cut stone foundation wall. As a sign, this was rock solid, Greg knew he had to buy the Peckham house and continue his friend’s vision.

The Peckham house was sold in October of 2025, and Canfield is fixing it up to remain part of the Lowell Community, and to continue to provide affordable housing.
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On March 18, the Lowell Area Historical Museum will host a presentation by Paul Erickson, Randolph G. Adams Director William L. Clements Library speaking on Howard Peckham’s role in the Bicentennial and development of the University of Michigan’s colonial archive collection.

Images:

The Peckham House Repainted

H. Algernon (Gernie) Peckham and Harriet (Hattie)Wilson Peckham

A. H. Peckham

Emma Flanagan, daughter of Robert Flanagan holding Thema Peckham

Thelma Peckham

Cutter Factory with Peckham in the window

Mantle in the Peckham house
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Pocket door in the Peckham house