Michael and Ellen Curry, natives of Ireland, built this cross-gable roof Colonial Revival style cottage in 1898. The Currys moved to Great Falls from Fort Benton in 1891. Initially, they rented this home to professional tenants, while living in a house behind the Bach, Cory & Co. building on Central and Park. There, Michael worked as a janitor at the First National Bank and Ellen managed the lodging rooms upstairs. By 1905, the Currys and six of their seven children had moved here. When their sons were old enough, they joined Michael at the bank. In 1916, Luke was a teller, James was a bookkeeper, and William was an elevator operator. The family and the entire neighborhood were shocked and grief stricken in 1924 when William, age twenty-five, was shot and killed by a thief just outside the home. William’s wife Elizabeth, who witnessed the incident, later married his brother James in 1926. Despite this tragedy, the Currys remained on Fourth Avenue. Michael died in 1930 and Ellen in 1936, but their son Albert and his wife Dorothy spent fifty more years here.
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Research.pdf | pdf / 2.06 MB | Download |