John Johnston House (Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
John Johnston House | |
 | |
  Location in Michigan  Location in United States | |
 Interactive map | |
| Location | 415 Water Street Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 46°29′57″N 84°20′19″W / 46.49917°N 84.33861°W |
| Area | 0.1 acres (0.040 ha) |
| Built | 1822 |
| Architect | Mayer & Savoie (c. 1949 restoration) |
| NRHP reference No. | 70000268[1] |
| Significant dates | |
| Added to NRHP | July 8, 1970 |
| Designated MSHS | February 19, 1958[2] |
The John Johnston House is a private house located at 415 Water Street in Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1970[1] and designated a Michigan State Historic Site in 1958.[2]
John Johnston (1762–1828) was born on August 25, 1762, in Northern Ireland, the son of William Johnston and Elizabeth McNeil, well-to-do landowners.[3][4] In 1790, he relocated to what is now Canada and became affiliated with the North West Company, a fur trading company headquartered in Montreal, Quebec.[3] In 1791, Johnston embarked on a trading trip to Mackinac Island, and continued on himself, establishing a trading post on the Bad River near what is now Ashland, Wisconsin and befriending the local Ojibwe.[4] At the end of the season, Johnston took his furs to Montreal, but in 1792 returned to the Bad River area and married Ozhaguscodaywayquay, the daughter of Ojibwe war chief Waubojeeg.[5] In 1793, Johnston and his wife settled in the Sault to trade with the native residents there.[6] The couple had four sons and four daughters, including Jane Johnston Schoolcraft, who married notable author, explorer, and Native American culture expert Henry Rowe Schoolcraft.
John Johnston was Justice of the Peace in Sault Ste Marie for many years. He remained in Sault Ste. Marie for the rest of his life, remaining in the fur trade.[4] In 1812, Johnston helped British troops take control of Fort Mackinac on Mackinac Island.[2] In 1814, American forces burned his house, as well as $40,000 of his goods, in retaliation.[4] However, Johnston rebuilt, in part by selling his parents' estate in Ireland, and became connected with John Jacob Astor's American Fur Company.[4] John Johnston died on September 22, 1828.[3][4]
