At this site, lot No. 126 became the first lot sold at auction by J.J. Norton and A.W. Thompson on August 14, 1873, when 14 lots were sold and Seneca City was founded. It was purchased by John M. Dumas, who had been named the first postmaster on April 15, 1873. The site was the location of the first house, a commissary, the first post office, and the birth of the first child, Pearl Dumas, on Nov. 20, 1873. Louise M. & J. Bruce Bell erected this building for Bell Studio in 1953.