About 1834, Elijah A. Wilder, son of Ebenezer C. Wilder, built a small house at the intersection of the county road (now Route 86) and Milwaukee Road, which served as a hotel for a few years. His brother, Mariner A. Wilder, after taking over the property, built the large two-story house at the front of the structure in 1849. For twenty years, until 1869, he was the proprietor of "Wilder's Hotel." Nathaniel Gardner, son of Abner J., purchased Wilder's Hotel and advertised for public patronage under the sign name "Gardner House." The estate changed hands a number of times, and finally came back into the possession of Charles Wilder, who rented it to a work crew during the building of the Washington County Railroad. After the death of Charles Wilder in 1899, the property was eventually purchased by Earle R. Higgins, brother of M. Dyer and J. Ralph. He and his wife, Ethel (Johnson) raised their large family in that house, and also conducted a grocery business there for a number of years in a small building nearby. The large barn was used to sell grain, feeds, fertilizer and roofing, also for the raising of poultry. After Mr. Higgins' retirement, his son John continued the business for a few years until the property was sold to Chester and Carolyn Carter, who also had a store.

Dennys River Historic PhotographsPhotos for Map