John West Hunter built this house in 1822 on Saginaw Street (Woodward) as his second house after his original crude log cabin of 1819 stood on Elijah Willits' property. Hunter was one of four original landowners in Birmingham. The house has a basic frame of heavy timbers, with walls made of heavy slabs of wood set vertically on the foundation plate and pegged together, then covered inside with lath and plaster and outside with clapboard and finished in the Greek Revival style. In addition to farming, Hunter operated a blacksmith shop, established a foundry, and is credited with casting the first iron plow in the Michigan territory. He was also active in Oakland County government and for a short time opened a tavern in his home. In 1893, the house was moved from its original location on Woodward to 264 West Brown Street, where it remained for seventy years, and in July of 1970 it was moved again to its present location after James K. Flack offered it to the City of Birmingham in 1968.