The Munro House 

The Munro House Bed and Breakfast has been a fixture in Jonesville for so many years that its hard to think of as a single family home. It was a wooden structure built in 1834 by George C. Munro’s uncle, who was a trapper. It still stands, the last in Hillsdale County that we know of. The dining room, kitchen and two guest rooms are in that old house. In 1840 George C. Munro added on to the original cabin. That became the first brick house—a Greek Revival mansion— in the county. In 1847 two wings were added. Part of the reason George kept adding to the home was to impress his first wife Elizabeth, who was hesitant to move to the frontier. After she died, he married Elizabeth’s sister. Together they had nine children.

in all, George had 12 girls and two boys with his two wives. One son died of consumption (tuberculosis) as a teenager, so there was only one son to carry the Munro name forward. The amount of space available in his home must have felt inadequate as the years went by. However, each time he felt crowded he built onto the back of the house. Eventually it contained over twenty rooms as well as a large attic.

George was one of the wealthiest men in the county, owning a grist mill and general store in Jonesville. He wasn't one to hide his wealth. He lavishly entertained prominent people from everywhere, including (minor) royalty from Europe. He had black footmen dressed in red uniforms, an affectation that makes us cringe today. His magnificent carriage was more politically correct.

The Munro family daughters lived in the house until 1945. They lost the house because they owed $25 in back taxes. The American Legion bought it for $500 in back taxes and turned it into a banquet hall. They ended up having a fire in the kitchen, part of the original cabin. The house was condemned.

The house was then sold for $1 in the 1950s. It was run as an antique store until 1972, when it became a private residence. The new owners began to renovate it in the 1980s as a bed and breakfast and it opened in 1985.

The current owners bought it in 1999 … and they love Jonesville!

JoAnne P. Miller