The Wisner House, also known as Pine Grove, is a single-family house located at 405 Cesar Chavez Avenue in

Pontiac, Michigan Pontiac ( ') is a city in and the county seat of Oakland County, Michigan, Oakland County in the U.S. state of Michigan. Located roughly northwest of downtown Detroit, Pontiac is part of the Metro Detroit, Detroit metropolitan area, and is vari ...

. It was listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...

in 1970. It is now a public museum, the Governor Moses Wisner House, operated by the Oakland County Pioneer and Historical Society as part of the Pine Grove Historical Museum.

History

Moses Wisner Moses Wisner (June 3, 1815 – January 5, 1863) was the 12th governor of Michigan, a Colonel during the Civil War, and an active supporter of the anti-slavery movement. Early life in New York Wisner was born in Springport, New York, descend ...

was born in New York State in 1815, and moved to Michigan in 1837. He began farming, but soon abandoned it to read law in his brother's law office in Pontiac. By 1844, Wisner had settled permanently in Pontiac, and in 1845 he contracted the building of this house. He was married three years later. As he began practicing law, Wisner became active in politics, and took part in the first Republican convention in 1854. In 1858, he ran for governor and was elected to a two-year term. At the outbreak of the

Civil War A civil war is a war between organized groups within the same Sovereign state, state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies.J ...

, he raised a regiment; however, he died of

typhoid fever Typhoid fever, also known simply as typhoid, is a disease caused by '' Salmonella enterica'' serotype Typhi bacteria, also called ''Salmonella'' Typhi. Symptoms vary from mild to severe, and usually begin six to 30 days after exposure. Often th ...

in early 1863. Wisner's widow Angeolina Wisner kept the house as it had been during his life. She resided there until her death in 1905. Afterward the house was owned and maintained by Wisner's daughter Jessie Wisner Clark, and then granddaughter Florence Clark Wallace. In 1945, Florence Clark Wallace sold the house to the Oakland County Pioneer and Historical Society as a house museum.

Description

The Wisner House is a two-story red brick

Greek Revival Greek Revival architecture is a architectural style, style that began in the middle of the 18th century but which particularly flourished in the late 18th and early 19th centuries, predominantly in northern Europe, the United States, and Canada, ...

structure with a single story hip-roofed wing fronted with a colonnade of fluted Doric columns. The main entrance is covered by a flat-roofed portico. Windows are six over six units with sliding sashes, stone sills and stone lintels. The house still contains many objects which belonged to Moses Wisner and his immediate family.

References

{{National Register of Historic Places National Register of Historic Places in Oakland County, Michigan Greek Revival architecture in Michigan Houses completed in 1845 Houses in Oakland County, Michigan Historic house museums in Michigan Buildings and structures in Pontiac, Michigan Museums in Oakland County, Michigan 1845 establishments in Michigan Governor of Michigan