"John Petty, a wagon maker, built this as a home and a shop.  It was conveniently located next to the blacksmith, who supplied metal fittings for the sleighs, carriages and wagons.  Petty cured the spokes for wagon wheels for seven years, and then placed them in green wood hubs and ribbing to ensure a tight fit.  The shop was sold to Patterson and Clendennan, then Booth and Burkee, and finally to Samuel Honsberger.

The original house burned down in the 1894 fire that destroyed many of the homes in Jordan.  Honsberger sold the land to A.K. Wismer and Morgan Wismer, who built the present house in 1900.  The carriage making business continuted until 1918, when the advent of the motorcar made carriages redundant." 

A Walking Tour of The Village of Jordan

On the south side of the house is a coffin door, now hidden by relatively recent construction.