Bass Mansion

This home in Stevensville, Montana's first settlement was designed by A.J. Gibson, the architect who also designed the Daly Mansion and many other Georgian Revival buildings in Ravalli County and Missoula. Dudley Bass commissioned it in 1909. It was built atop a spring, so a ship's plate steel "box" was constructed to hold the whole house. The spring started to move the house during a high-water year; so a channel was cut diagonally from corner to corner in the very high basement. The stream could now run freely through the house. They used to put their milk jugs in the cool water up until the '80s.
The Basses went to a world exposition in New York where they saw electricity...the new modern marvel. When the house was built, they it wired for electricity for the eventual coming of electricity to Stevensville. Meanwhile, it was also piped for gas lamps until that magic day in 1929 when the wires reached the house and they turned on the electric lights. There are still gas lamps throughout the house...beautiful fixtures. All the rooms are very nicely appointed and well-maintained by the current family.
The attic is about 18 feet tall...huge attic. the Bass children for generations played games up there...basketball, mainly. There are still hobby horses and old trunks there.
It still remains a single family dwelling of about 4,500 sq. feet. It's now on the National Register of Historical Places. It's a house of many memories.