708 Toole Avenue

Recognizing that a successful democracy demands an educated populace, the federal government required new states to establish public schools and to set aside land claims in each township to financially support education. In April 1897, brick maker and real estate speculator Patrick Cone purchased this lot in Missoula’s “School Addition” from the State of Montana for $180.

Two months later, he sold it to general contractor George Dildine for $200. By 1902, Dildine had built this one-story, wood-frame residence. An open front porch—decorated with turned columns and wooden brackets—a projecting bay, and gable dormers embellish the basic hipped-roof cottage form. Although the home was situated on a residential block, railroad spur lines, the Big Blackfoot Milling Company lumber and coal yards, and the Missoula Iron Works defined the neighborhood.

Swedish immigrant Amanda Nearman, whose husband farmed near Hellgate, purchased the house in 1914, likely as an in-town residence to make it easier for their children to attend school. Nearman retained ownership of the property until her death in 1933.