The W. H. Gehrman Home
at 422 Hickory is significant due to substantial alterations during the historic period. Built for Montana
Meat Company president Gehrman in 1895, the brick-veneered home, according to Sanborn Fire Insurance Maps, did not originally feature the north wing or the octagonal northeast corner tower. Sometime between 1896 and 1907 (most likely prior to the turn of the
century), the home was remodeled in the Queen Anne/Free Classic style, as evidenced by its corner tower, wood shingle siding on the
north wing, classical columns on its front porch, spindled balustrade, stone belt courses, and elaborate brick cornice. The home, after this historic remodeling, also featured a copper stylized onion dome on the tower, which has since been removed.
Two of the home's more noteworthy residents were:
Charles A. Lemmon, who lived at 422 Hickory Street from 1916-1960, was a well-known engineer of the Butte, Anaconda & Pacific
Railway and the Assistant General Manager of the Smelter. He was instrumental in the development and construction of the B.A. &
P. lines to the mining areas west of Anaconda. In 1911, he was in charge of the survey team that installed the lines to Georgetown
and Silver Lakes. This development increased the revenue of the railway and expanded the Anaconda Company's source of materials.
And
Edward P. Mathewson was one of the most well-known of Anaconda's smelter managers. During his career with the Anaconda Company, he oversaw the development of a number of important projects that affected the community. He was born in Montreal, Canada in 1864 and attended McGill University in his hometown. In 1885, he graduated with a degree as a mining engineer. He worked in several places around the United States and Canada until 1902, when he was hired as a metallurgist by the Anaconda Company in Anaconda. In approximately 1904, he was promoted General Manager of the Anaconda Reduction Works and moved into the home at 422 Hickory.
422 Hickory - Gable-front - Queen Anne - 1895 - Actual - Primary Significance
From the NRHP Continuation Sheet, Section 8, Page 10