425 BALL STREET
HISTORIC SIGNIFICANCE
425 Ball Street was built in 1908 for Joseph and Caroline Krambeer. Joseph was a tailor and employed at the Lethin Brothers for 30 years and was a resident of Elgin for 37 years. He passed away in 1912 at the age of 58 leaving the home to his wife. Caroline sold the home in 1925 to her son, Arthur and his wife, Delia. The home stayed in the Krambeer family until 1971.
Interestingly, prior to this home being built, the building across the street was noted to be the first steam-operated butter factory west of the Great Lakes. The company was known as the Elgin Dairy Company. In 1874, the plant’s capacity was 2,000 gallons of milk daily with 144,000 pounds of butter and 190,000 pounds of cheese. The waste from this creamery flowed into Buttermilk Creek and may have given the neighborhood its “Slop Hill” nickname which lasted for decades!
ARCHITECTURAL SIGNIFICANCE
The home is a nice example of a Dutch Colonial Revival with its iconic gambrel roof. The house still exhibits its original shingle siding and wood windows.
TIMELINE OF PREVIOUS OWNERS
Sources: 2023 Heritage Plaque Application