Cummings, Wilson S., House

Built around 1885 at the northwest corner of Sandusky and Taylor Streets in Fredericktown, this two-story Queen Anne house was constructed by W. S. Cummings, a prominent local lumber merchant, as a "model home" to showcase his woods and craftsmanship. The wood-frame building has clapboard siding, a slate gable roof, a sandstone foundation, elaborate porches with turned posts and baluster rails, projecting bays and bargeboard trim. Inside, many types of wood were used for the detailed woodwork, and five large fireplaces carved from choice woods form the centerpieces of the house. It is described as the largest and most elaborate house in town and for years served as a social and cultural center. The Cummings family lost it during the Depression, and schoolteacher Mary Jo Wintermute bought it for $4,500. Since 1973 it has been the Methodist parsonage, and some remodelling was done then. A carriage barn remains on the shaded lot.