M I McCreight Summer Home

[rich00]

The M.I. McCreight Home remains at 42 East Long Avenue.  The magnificent large wrap around porch is missing.  Apparently, 42 East Long Avenue is now rental property and a different street number appears on the mail box.  

 

The fireplace photos were recently taken at Wigwam, Mr. McCreight's Summer Home in Sandy Township.

 

Wigwam is going to need a lot of work for restoration.

[rich00]

Wigwam Guests--Chief Flying Hawk, Rembrandt McCreight, M.I. McCreight, Jr. (Tonk), and Thunderbull, the interpreter for Chief Flying Hawk.  Young girls and date of photo are unknown.

[Ignatius]

If anyone wants an enjoyable experience, this spring, when we have a warm evening, around dusk, take a walk through that part of DuBois.  In the twilight, you will see how many homes are supposed to look.  There are truly some very, very nice homes in this town and it is a shame so many are so run down.

[Petee]

Should anyone know of a group that is able to oversee an effort to save it I know my husband would love to help.  He did repairs there for the Powers family for years, most of whom have passed away, the latest being their daughter, Martha Brooks.  They had a son Craig Jr., but I'm not sure where he is living now.

 

Does anyone actually know who owns it?

[z50kidd]

MI McCreight is one of the people I would most like to meet.He was my Great Grandfather.My mother and uncle used to spend summers at the Wigwam with their grandfather MI McCreight.We have a few pieces of Indian artifacts from his collection,they were given to my mother when MI passed away.The picture attached is of my mother and her brother at the wigwam in 1954.

Ok how do I attach my picture ,  Help !!!

[km2009]

MI McCreight is one of the people I would most like to meet.He was my Great Grandfather.My mother and uncle used to spend summers at the Wigwam with their grandfather MI McCreight.We have a few pieces of Indian artifacts from his collection,they were given to my mother when MI passed away.The picture attached is of my mother and her brother at the wigwam in 1954.

Ok how do I attach my picture ,  Help !!!

 

 

Whenver you click new reply...there will be a section below where you reply that says attach file...click browse and find the picture you want to post in your pics...then click attach.....then post.

 

[km2009]

The Wigwam house does need a lot of work done to it.....I was very amazed by the beautiful wrap around porch it has...it's huge!

[z50kidd]

Here are a couple pics of my mother and her brother at the Wigwam,and her brother and MI at the porch.

[rich00]

Chief Iron Tail, Buffalo Bill's Wild West Show, Du Bois, PA, June 22, 1908.

 

Photograph taken by M.I. McCreight.

 

McCreight has written on the front: "Iron Tail---1908   Head is on Nickel"

 

McCreight has written on verso: "Chief Iron Tail--Iron Tail's head on the Buffalo nickel--(this photo by myself about 1908 M I Mc"

[Ignatius]

Thanks for posting Rich!  

 

Personally I miss the "art"  that was our coinage in years past:  buffalo nickel, standing liberty quarters, mercury dimes, etc.  

[rich00]

At The Wigwam

[rich00]

The Wigwam Fireplace,  (1941 and 2010)

[wonderer]

I am so fascinated with the history of this home.

[wonderer]

Thank You for sharing your family's history and all the photo's everyone. I love it.

[rich00]

M.I. McCreight (1865-1958 ), and his wife, Alice B. McCreight (1867-1965) are buried in Morningside Cemetery.

 

Also buried at the McCreight site is Alice J. McCreight (1920-1977), Marian B. McCreight (1989-1977), Rembrandt P. McCreight (1909-1937), Jack McCreight (1896-1984), Martha L. Swisher McCreight (1900-1999) and Floyd G. Swisher (1898-1971).

 

A map of the location is attached.

[wonderer]

Thanks for posting.

[rich00]

Fans of M.I. McCreight will enjoy reading an article about his famous collection of Native American artifacts that were once at The Wigwam.  The article is titled,

[rich00]

"The Du Bois Forestry Club", Du Bois, PA

 

M.I. McCreight was a Roosevelt Era Conservationist, as well as a Native American friend and advocate.

 

M.I. McCreight founded the

[soccermom]

I'll have to go take a look is it really bad or what why can't you believe its the same house?

 

If you go to the library, you can look through the old City Directories and see some of the people that owned the homes.

 

There are also many old postcards available showing these homes when they were first built. I believe the Historic Society has some.

 

It's terrible what has become of some of the historic houses in DuBois. Take a look around Brookville and you'll see pride in their heritage. Many of the original founders of DuBois would be ashamed if they could see their homes now.

[Ignatius]

For enjoyable "walk into the past", some evening, when the weather is a bit cooler, just after twilight and before fully dark, take a walk through various parts of town.  You'll see the "ghosts" of what neighborhoods were meant to look like decades ago.  One particularly interesting neighborhood is going up Long Ave. past the old Rec Center, towards the Hahne house, then loop around Highland, going down Washington back to Brady.  There were some gorgeous homes in this town!

 

Much of the downtown area has been "remodeled" beyond the original intentions.

[rich00]

I've had inquiries about the M.I. McCreight Family.

 

Here is some information from M.I. McCreight's Biography:

 

 

[rich00]

Major Israel McCreight

Chief

[rich00]

Major Israel McCreight Writings (1905-1957)

 

"Dean of Du Bois writers was M.I. McCreight who wrote and published more books than all the others  Despite a busy business life, this former banker and industrialist wrote 12 books and innumerable magazine articles.  Titles of books included "Memory Sketches of Du Bois," "Chief Flying Hawk," "George  Washington - Human," "Will Rogers," "Go West Young Man," "Firewater and Forked Tongues," and "The Killing of Pat McWeeney," which was included in "The Westerners" and is regarded as a collector's item."   Jason S. Gray, The Best of Reflections: History and Personal Reflections of Life in the Du Bois Area, Du Bois Area Historical Society (1991).

 

Many of M.I. McCreight's books are still published...even in India!

 

[rich00]

The Wigwam sits atop a knob in Sandy Township where the Great Divide of the Alleghenies was once visible 18 miles to the East.  Locally, the knob was known as "Prospect Knob" and later the "Pimlacle."  Although the vista is now obscured by tree growth, one can still see the tops of two large conifers at The Wigwam for miles.  The Buffalo-Pittsburgh Highway eventually became US 119 (Blairsville to Du Bois) and US 219 (Du Bois to New York).  M.I. McCreight was Secretary of the Association.

 

"An Hour at The Wigwam", Motoring Through Nature's Gallery on the Buffalo-Pittsburgh Highway, The Buffalo-Pittsburgh Highway Association (1927).

[rich00]

"Firewater and Forked Tongues"

Courtesy of "Manycoups: Robert A. Stumpf" at http://manycoups.net/index.html