Somers Mansion History
The other day we were moving some of the pieces of plywood, and we found a little plaque by the front door. Interestingly, since the Mansion isn’t listed on the historic registry, there’s no record of the origins of the plaque or it’s information.
The plaque gave me a place to start my research into the history of the Mansion, but even these three pieces of information can’t be taken for granted. I’ve been doing some digging with the help of the folks down at the Somers Company Town, the Northwest Montana History Museum, and the owner of another John O’Brien Mansion.
Let’s take each line separately:
John O’Brien. Mr. O’Brien commissioned the house after starting the mill that put Somers on the map. At the suggestion of Mr. James Hill, a rail road baron, O’Brien came from Minnesota to Montana to check out a site for a lumber mill. He eventually decided on what became Somers, and built a massive milling and railroad tie production operation.
Architect Joseph Gibson. Turns out, the architect is much more difficult to determine. Joseph Gibson was a Kalispell-based architect designing around this time. He had a relatively short career, but some of his houses can still be found in Kalispell. However, most sources attribute the building to A.J. Gibson, the architect who designed several other mansions in NW Montana, including the iconic Gibson Mansion. Several interested architects have indicated they suspect A.J. was the correct architect, but the author of A.J. Gibson’s biography strongly disagrees. So, who knows!
Completed October 12, 1903. This one was surprisingly easy to confirm- the Kalispell Bee, a local newspaper reported on the O’Brien family’s comings and goings, including when they were finally able to move into the Mansion. Originally, they called it “Alta Vista,” translating to high view (an accurate representation of it’s perch on the hill. Even though they moved in, my understanding is they primarily lived on the second floor- the first was used for entertaining and company business, and the third floor housed guests and company men. Interestingly, the O’Brien’s only stayed a few years before moving back east.
After the O’Brien family moved out, the Mansion was used by the John O’Brien Lumber Company both as offices and continuing to house company visitors. The Company Manager lived there and in 1913, the then Manager opened the Mansion as the “Mountain Inn,” which officially remained open until 1916.
It wasn’t until 1946 that the Mansion became truly private property. It was sold to mill Manager McDevitt. His family owned the Mansion for the following sixty years- until 2005! The McDevitt’s were a rather private bunch and few people were invited in during their ownership, building curiosity in the community.
This photo is from Barbara Coppock, one of the lucky few invited inside for a tour. Thanks for the picture Barbara!
In 2005, the Mansion was bought by Christin Didler, who lived there with roommates and owned it during a very unfortunate storm in 2008 that took the roof off and wrought substantial damage. Due to the damage, the Mansion remained empty and vandals broke in, causing more damage.
Eventually, Ms. Didler sold the Mansion to another Christine- Christine Mansion- who eventually sold it to me!
And the rest, as they say, is history. (too corny? But it’s true!)
Our realtor (and wedding photographer), Kelly Kennedy, snapped this before closing. Thanks Kelly!
