The History of the Kirby House Bed and Breakfast dates back to 1887 when
Sarah Kirby purchased from her father the one acre of land that the house still sits on.

Sarah Kirby had married Frank Kirby, a local "boot, shoe and crocker merchant," in 1883. However, it is interesting to note that the warranty deed contained only her name and not that of her husband.

Sarah's first mortgage on the home, again in her name only, was written in May of 1890 -- it was in the amount of $400 with a 10% interest rate. One might suspect that the reason for the exceedingly high interest rate was because the warranty deed contained only that of her name. Also, the $400 was surely not the cost to build the house, but perhaps some quick cash or emergency money. Historians indicate that the house was probably built for between $4,000 and $8,000 -- a sizable sum for a woman to possess on her own in an era where women could not even vote!

Frank Kirby died in 1896, just six years after
the house was built. He is buried in the local cemetery in the Gill / Kirby family plot.

Sarah continued to live in her home, raised her children in the house and in 1932 (when she was 70 years old) moved to California to live her remaining years near her grandchildren. Sarah lived to be almost 90 years of age and is buried in the Riverside Cemetery in Hemit, California. Before Sarah left this area she and her one daughter, Faith, who was a nurse, turned the family home into a hospice-type of operation called Hawthorne Lodge for people who "just need a home." That operation was turned over to what eventually became the local hospital.

Part of the most interesting history of the Kirby House is the years it was know as the Douglas Community Hospital. From 1932 until 1960 the house served the Saugatuck community as the area's hospital. Those year of service to the community turned out to be magical years of survival for the old house. After those years the house served as an antique and junk store, a real estate office, the abandoned and "haunted" house of the area and also a rooming house.

The house was purchased in 1983 by Loren and Marsha Kontio for the sole purpose of restoration for a bed and breakfast and opened as such in May of 1984. The current owners, Ray Riker and Jim Gowran, purchased the home to continue the tradition of the Kirby House Bed and Breakfast and "re-opened" for business in May of 1998.

Today the Kirby House Bed and Breakfast is a registered Michigan Historic Site, due partly to the Queen Anne architectural style as well as the service it provided to the community as the hospital for nearly 30 years!

Douglas Community Hospital - circa 1944

The Douglas Community Hospital
Nursery

Patient's Room (actually it's the parlor)

The Kirby House Bed and Breakfast

Saugatuck - Douglas, Michigan 1-800-521-6473

Sarah Kirby's 2 year old grandson, John Nevins, standing in front of the house with an uncle or neighbor. (About 1918)