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Parlor, Prayer,
and Play
Attention Laboring Men—
Why pay rent? When you can buy a good lot in the Hollister & Skinner addition,
fronting the avenue, for $100.Lansing State
Republican,
August 9, 1897 |
NEW AND GOOD
Two new 8-room dwellings, Michigan Avenue east, that will please you if you want a good
house, nicely located at a very moderate price. Come and see me or call me up. New phone
No. 58. J. W. Bailey, real estate, insurance and loans, Peoples’ Bank Building.Lansing State Republican, August 5, 1897 |
 In the 1890s, as in the 1990s, neighborhood
meant home and friends. Most families lived in single-family dwellings. Many rented their
houses and moved around within the city fairly often. Single adults usually lived in
boardinghouses or with relatives. The photograph shows the J. W. Knapp family in front of
the Benjamin F. Davis home on a winter's day.
 The parlor in the exhibit features typical furnishings and decorative
arts from the Lansing homes of the decade. A diagram of
the scene indicates some of the artifacts: a portrait of Metta (Mrs. R. E.) Olds; a tea
service and chair from the B. F. Davis home; a what-not and a table lamp from the Henry N.
Lawrence home; a bust of Orlando M. Barnes, a plan of his home, and a table and chair from
the Barnes home; a clock that belonged to J. C. Schneider; and a trunk and magazines from
the Charles Davis family.
A variety of organizations offered Lansing residents a chance to share common interests
and beliefs or improve some aspect of their lives. Churches
were the most visible of these institutions. Many Lansingites joined social
and civic organizations and took part in recreation and sports.
Saloons were popular retreats for men in the community.
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