Arthur Silliman, an early pioneer who came to Three Rivers in 1847, built this brick structure in the 1870s. Its lower level served as his blacksmith shop, while the upper stories housed his family. In 1914 he deeded the property, named “Riversbye,” to his daughter Sue Silliman. Sue Silliman was Three Rivers librarian and historian for forty-two years, and during that time she also served on national, state, and local boards of the Daughters of the American Revolution. Before her death in 1945, she left to the people of the area her papers, the books she wrote including St. Joseph in Homespun, her home, and the memory of a life dedicated to public service. Near this site a Potawatomi Indian trail crossed the St. Joseph, and the meeting of the St. Joseph, Portage, and Rocky rivers here gave Three Rivers its name.