Charles and Mary Olson had prospered during their first decade in Sandpoint after moving the family from Rhinelander, Wisconsin in 1903. So in 1915 he bought the house on the southwest corner of Church and Fourth, demolished it, and hired architect and builder H. L. Mountjoy to build his new home. Mountjoy built an Arts and Crafts bungalow of one and a half stories,  liberally using old growth Douglas-fir for the interior woodwork. The younger daughter, Judith (far right in family picture), was married in the house in 1924.

The Olsons sold the house in 1935 to William and Maybelle Nieman, heads of a prominent Sandpoint family who owned a soda fountain in town and, later, a florist shop and music business on Cedar Street. Like Judith Olson, the Nieman's daughter was married in the house.

The Niemans sold the house in December, 1941, to Frank Taylor who in turn sold it a year later to my grandparents, Vic and Elmah Barber. Logging and sawmilling supported Pappy and his family of five sons through the 30's and 40's. And the Barbers celebrated two weddings in the house during the war years, including that of my parents in December, 1944. In the spring of 1947 Pappy  was eager to explore the newly opened Alaska Highway. What started as a "hunting trip" resulted in Pappy sending for the family and selling the Church Street House to Margaret Long. For a time, second thoughts of the wisdom of living in Alaska had the Barbers splitting time between Fairbanks and another house in Sandpoint at 701 Sixth. "The Church Street House" received its name to distinguish it from the other house, "The Sixth Street House".

Margaret, an osteopath, set up her treatment table in the dining room and used the living room as a waiting area for patients. When Margaret died in 1952 her brother Oliver and his wife Kittie  inherited the home. Oliver died not long after and for two more decades Kittie lived there alone, renting three upstairs rooms individually. It seems there are few old time Sandpoint residents who didn't rent a room from Kittie at some time in the 50's, 60's, or 70's. Upon Kittie's death in 1977 the property passed to a collection of owners who used it as office space--first a title company, later a chiropractor's office. In 1988 one of the chiropractors, Michael Trowbridge, bought out the other owners and established his practice downstairs while he lived with his family upstairs. Through the 90's when Heather and I visited my parents in Sagle we would also visit the Church Street House and attempt to buy it from the Trowbridges. By 1999 they relented and we started making plans for a Bed and Breakfast.

The year 2001 was filled with demolition and construction as the Church Street House was restored to a middle class residence of the 20's and 30's. Layers of "improvements" were cleared away to reveal the tight grained, old growth Douglas-fir

 that H. L. Mountjoy had used for the interior woodwork eighty five years previously. Two guest rooms with private baths were created, each filled with art and family photos from Texas, whence they came to Sandpoint, and Alaska, to where they departed.

-Heather, Laika, Alan