The
Freeze House History
The
Freeze House was constructed during the first World
War, between 1914 and 1918, by Jessie Williams Freeze
and Jacob Frank Freeze. The architecture is
modified bungalow, i.e., a central hall with three
rooms on each side. The modifications include
a second floor, again with a central hall, and six
additional bedrooms. During the winter, the
house was a private home, but during the summer
it was opened to summer guests from the warmer cities
and towns.
In
those early days, the Freeze House served breakfast
and dinner, and was happy to pack a picnic lunch
for the guests, who spent their time touring the
scenic attractions of the area, including Whiteside
Mountain, Black Rock Mountain, and Water Rock Knob,
all of which are much more accessible today!
Many
of the visitors in those days before air conditioning,
returned every summer to enjoy the much cooler mountains,
and the Freezes hospitality. Evenings were
spent on the porch watching the fireflies, or in
the living room playing bridge, setback, or pinochle.
Occasionally, someone would sit at the piano and
everyone would join in a chorus of "In the
Gloaming", or "Little Brown Church in
the Wildwood".
During
the Second World War, passenger trains stopped service
to the area, and the tourist trade languished.
Mr. Freeze died in 1946, and Mrs. Freeze began to
take in boarders - construction workers and business
people in town who needed lodging for a month or
so. She kept this up until her final illness
and death at age 96, in 1973.
The
house reverted to private status under the ownership
of Patrick and Mary Ellen Montague, and their family.
Patrick is the son of the Freeze's daughter, Margaret,
who died in 1938.
The
Freeze House was restored and modernized in 1994-1995,
by the Montague family, with Michael Montague, the
great-grandson of the Freezes as the principal builder
and contractor.
Today
the house, in addition to being a bed and breakfast,
remains in use as a private home.
