Crook's Hotel

Capt. Crook, of Culver, who owns both of the large steamers on Lake Maxinkuckee has just finished building a floating, two story, dancing pavilion which was set afloat Sunday for the first time.
[Rochester Sentinel, Monday, July 3, 1905]

The Helber house was constructed partially from any steamboat wrecks or left over steamboat building material wood that Mr. Lord who owned the steamboats on the lake could gather up; salvaging lumber and doors from his boats to finish the top floor.

Lumber was expensive and in the 1870 and 1880s when the building was going on (I know Judy Reynolds says 1880's no earlier. Daddy said 1870s.

It took Mr. Lord a time to build the house and his wife didn't like it. Sh state that when the Lord's lived their it was a private home andthMy personal rememberance of the house from 1958-1972 was the wooded area that surrounded it - also the hedge of gooseberry bushes that lined the front lawn between the end of Harding Court and the alley leading to Lakeview Street. Mom and Dad lived down the north south alley that teed into the alley above that swung out onto Lakeview St and into Harding Court at 416 Lake Shore Drive where the Willhites live today. I had not seen gooseberry bushes since I was a kid in the mid 1960's when we visted my grandfather Emery's house in southern Indiana.
he rooms above.

The Helbers first winter was in 1956 and the lived in threee rooms on the top floor while the Bromley family resided on the bottom floor. She stated her father had tried to revive the old keronseen stove only to have the family over comed by carbon monoxide. Thus resulting in the Helder family moiving the Liberty street till the house could be vacated and renovated.

She states the Thelma (Scott) Hodges told of a curved stair case leading to the upstairs from the piano roomo and of a fireplace in the living room on the north wall. She also states that the front bedroom downstairs was originally the Lord's Steamship office with a door that lead to the outside. The when Mr. Lord died that his viewing was held from the house in that room. It is said that a ghost or two occupied the house and there was a strange noise now and then.

She states that either Crook [Oliver Crook] or Lord or both toghether created a collection of rental cotaages around the house and called it 'Cottage Grove Place'. She states that she saw then name "Crook's', Cottage Grove Place and a date written in fancy script on the side walk in the side yard. Two of the cottages became homes of Nanny SNyder and the McKee's.

During the 1920's and 1930's it became a rooming house and owenr ship turned over frequently.

The very back of Helber house where the kitchen is was a beauty parlor once upon a time. When we moved in after the Bromley's we found a rusted beauty parlor chair with electric hook ups stuff for permanants and dryer. There was lots of old brown bottles of castile shampoo stored there also, none of which was wasted by the way.

There was a house on the old Lord house site slightly behind or where the brick patio is. It had a brick foundation and was 1850's or so, her father had found it and tstates that it had burnt to the ground. SHe further states that the land around the house was a sacred place for the Indians.