The Island House

Edwin S. Noble (1838-1922) designed and built this house for his family in 1865. Noble, an expert accountant, was associated with the Dexter-Noble Company, first as secretary-treasurer and later as a full partner. The company was involved in logging and the production of chemicals, flour and high-quality pig iron. It also operated a store and a brick yard. By 1882 the firm, then known as the Elk Rapids Iron Company, had become the largest employer in town. Edwin Noble, a driving force behind the iron company for over two decades, transformed a four-acre sand dune into this scenic island area by covering it with clay and dark loam and planting over sixty species of trees on it. He built a broad bridge over the river to connect the island with the town. In 1949 a part of the Island House became a public library.