326 Clarke

An open front porch frames the entry of this dwelling, built as a single family home in the early 1880s when the neighborhood was newly developed. John C. Curtin and his family were in residence here from 1889 to 1898. Curtin and a brother, Arthur P. Curtin, were partners in the firm of Clarke, Conrad and Curtin, one of Helena’s oldest hardware concerns.

The company advertised everything from clothespins to grand pianos. Curtin held several county offices and served two terms as mayor, but adventure beckoned. In 1898, he disposed of his Helena assets to follow the gold rush to Alaska. By 1900, tenants included pawnbroker Siegfried Abrahamson, his wife Clara, their two teenage daughters, and a servant.

Bookkeeper John H. Ross moved here in 1912 and eventually purchased the property. Ross and his second wife, Carrie, formally divided the house into a duplex in the 1920s. The two distinct halves of the dwelling remain intact, each entered through a separate door on either side of the main entry. A low hipped roof, locally made brick, and arched windows speak to the simple architecture of the territorial period.