900 Lake Street, Saugatuck, Twin Gables
Archive
Notes about 900 Lake Street, Saugatuck
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The building that is now the Twin Gables Bed and Breakfast was once owned by Samuel Clipson and his wife, Susan (Mason) Clipson. They owned it as a brewery, which burned down once and was rebuilt during the time they owned it.
Sam came to this country about 1850 and lived in Allegan before coming to Saugatuck. They had several children, four of eight survived to adulthood. One, Lewis, committed suicide at the age of 35 in the outhouse by slitting his throat ear-to-ear with a razor blade or knife. Daughter Elizabeth married Joseph Lewis and moved to Edmore, Michigan. Son, Charles, moved to Berlin Heights, Ohio, presumably to be with his mother's family. Another son, Sam Jr., disappeared. We don't know what became of him.
Samuel Sr., Susan, Lewis and three young children, possibly four, are buried in Riverside Cemetery in Saugatuck.
Samuel was once accused of selling beer on Sunday, but he was only checking on the batch, and was found to be innocent. Since being a brewery, I understand it was also a tannery and a couple of other different businesses.
by Shelly Clipson-Shock, Ypsilanti, Michigan, visitor to the 1999 exhibit "Raising the Roof: Buildings and Architecture of the Saugatuck and Douglas Area."
2023.50.64
Other sources state the building was the ice house for the Clipson Brewery, not the brewery itself. In 2016, the building was rehabilitated and reopened as the Hotel Saugatuck. Note: from the 1920s to the 1950s, Coral Gables was also named Hotel Saugatuck.
SDHS NL InsertsBuildings: CommercialFamily History
Winthers, Sally
Digital data in CatalogIt
Clipson, Samuel 1826-1905Clipson BreweryHotel Saugatuck/Twin Gables Hotel/Singapore Country InnClipson, Lewis 1858-1893
This information was OCR text scanned from SDHS newsletter supplements. A binder of original paper copies is catalog item 2023.50.01
11/13/2023
09/20/2024