History

Built in the 1850s by Kiah Bailey (Williams Bay postmaster 1848), it is considered one of the oldest homes in the Bay and originally sat on approximately 150 acres. In 1919, John Smyth Jr. purchased and remodeled the home and it stayed in his family for 33 years.

One set of owners converted the home to a bed and breakfast. They remodeled to provide each room with a private bath. Following a trip to Ireland where they learned that in many neighborhoods the residents painted their doors a different bright color, they selected a bright yellow for the two outside doors. Karen and John Beckman continued its operation as bed and breakfast until 2016 when it was purchased by Carmen Harper who completed the extensive renovations before selling it to Susan Franzen in 2020.

Today the property sits on 2.75 acres and is owned by Susan Franzen, a descendant of Martin Hart Brigham, who settled into the Williams Bay circa 1848. The home includes a carriage house, gardens, wooded areas, and a pump house that served as an early source of water for the home and continues to be used by the Village of Williams Bay Public Works to provide water service to the home.

For more history of the Village of Williams Bay, visit this site.