The elegance of this grand, early 20th-century architecture is plain to see. Even from afar, one can see this is the stuff of an iconic, landmark home. Its history and tragedies, however, may not seem as revealing.
The home was built in 1910 for David Barber, a successful manager of the State Lumber Company – an enormous enterprise of its day. It was a sawmill with unheard of capacity, where more than 60 men could produce up to 500,000 board feet per day. While the working men had far more splinters than dollars in their hands, the investors and managers had none of the former, and plenty more of the latter (best measured in magnitudes).
Successful management of such an operation yields empire-starting rewards, including a position in life to afford the finest of architects. After selecting a suitable lot, then along the desirable outskirts of town, Barber commissioned Marion Riffo – a Kalispell architect who formed an indelible impression in local history (having also designed the Kalispell Grand Hotel, St. Matthew’s Church and other homes and buildings).
The towering chimneys, the steep roof, rolling porch, and other fine appointments speak of the fine taste and grand design – yet also bespeak tragedy.
Nobody could have predicted what would become of the Barber family (save for those with tarot cards, gypsy scarves, and the fortune of sheer coincidence). Indeed, by 1917, there would be nothing left of the Barber family except for a house – all but empty except for sorrowful memories and fine furniture, hardly used.
While the Barber family planned the front room for entertaining, it was used more often as a quarantine for the sick and dying – eventually, the entire family. It was a series of tragedies of the kind that saddens hearts and perplexes courts with paperwork and precedents.
In the meantime, although desolate, chilling, thrashing noises could be heard coming from inside the house, as if “souls were trapped inside its walls.” Even the most rational of folk, declared the house was haunted (after hurriedly leaving the premises).
That is, until it was discovered that barn swallows (not lost souls) were responsible for the noises that spooked even the sturdiest of unknowing men.
In 1919, the home was cleared of court clerks and cobwebs and purchased by its namesakes: Alfons and Martha Agather. Alfons was born in Russia and had served the imperial guard of Czar Nicholas there. As an immigrant in Kalispell, Alfons worked as the cashier and later the president of the First National Bank of Kalispell, which even at that time was known as “the oldest bank in the Flathead County.”
With the roar of the early ‘20s, it seemed that prosperity and good fortune would prevail throughout the home, as initially planned – and there would be plenty of fun and folly considering the flock of children: Margaret, Veronica, Alfons, Victor, and Max.
Yet tragedy would again strike unexpectedly. Alfons died suddenly in 1929 (visiting a sawmill in Washington), barely marking a decade living in the home.
The eventual circumstances of Alfons’ death would cause mom and daughter Margaret to renovate the home, so they could live in the basement and rent the rest of the house, which was converted into several apartments. Advertisements of their “apartment for rent” would become a staple of the classified ads section of local papers from the 1930s until the late ‘50s.
Fortunately, the home has shaken the tragedies of its past. It now boasts a long, three-generation legacy that has carefully and adoringly cared for the home. Present-day owner, Nikki Sliter – who used to tell her mom she would live in that house someday – actually does, along with her husband Everit.
Nikki keeps this landmark home impeccably well, especially during the holidays when she adorns the home for Halloween, Christmas, even Valentine’s Day with decorations and flair.
Nowadays, the home is a neighborhood icon – a fun, family home festively decorated throughout the year (with memories of tragedy tucked properly away in bookcases).
Jaix Chaix is a writer who appreciates history and architecture. You can share ideas and historical facts with him at [email protected].