Ainsworth House
Auburn S. Ainsworth moved to Thompson rails from Webster City, Iowa in October, 1905. A practicing attorney, he had received his law degree from Iowa State University in 1900. Ainsworth set a practice in town that also included selling insurance and real estate. He was appointed a United States Commissioner for the region by 1907. At first he and his wife rented a home from Mrs. W. B. Russell on block 22, but fire destroyed the residence in January 1908. Finding new lodgings, the Ainsworths prospered in Thompson Falls. A life-long, active member of the Republican Party, Ainsworth ran for State Representative that fall, but was one of only a few Republican candidates to lose in the local election that year. He became town attorney and served in that post almost continuously till his death. His associations with influential citizens locally and statewide allowed him to profit from such projects as St. Luke's Hospital and the Thompson Falls Power Company dam, as well as his law, insurance, and real estate business. By 1910, this prosperity allowed him to construct this 7 room and bath residence which at one time had a fountain outside on the lawn. Mrs. Ainsworth also became prominent in local social circles. She is best remembered as an eccentric lady who sponsored Christian Scientist meetings in her home for many years.
While no photographs or Sanborn maps could be found to how the house when it was built, it appears that it has gone through few changes. Only the north wall one-and-a-half chimney stack and the screen enclosure on the rear porch can be documented as not original. A view of the south side of the house appears in the background of a Montana Power Company photograph. It shows that side has remained unchanged.
From the NRHP Architectural Inventory
AINSWORTH HOUSE
In 1910, the newly incorporated town of Thompson Falls was shedding its frontier image. That year saw the organization of local power and water companies, the opening of a public library, and the construction of the town’s first Bungalow style residences. These fine new homes, proclaimed a “credit to Missoula or Spokane,” added a new dimension to the architectural landscape. One outstanding example is this 1910 carpenter-built Bungalow style home constructed from a pattern book for prominent attorney Auburn S. Ainsworth. Square columns, a full-width front porch, over-scaled wooden brackets, wide overhanging eaves, and a slight flair at the foundation reflect elements of the style. A white quartz mantle flanked by glassed-in cabinets, stained and leaded glass cabinets built into columns separating the music and living rooms, and built-in window seats reveal exquisite interior finishing. This stylish dwelling, which once boasted a fountain on the broad front lawn, well reflects the wealth of its first owner.
A very shrewd and clever lawyer, Ainsworth long served as town attorney and argued some notorious cases. He once persuaded a client accused of murder to be a horse and cavort on the lawn of the old County Building. The ruse worked and the client was declared insane.
From the NRHP plaque at the building