Colfax, WA

James Allen Perkins came to the area in 1870 when he was 29 years old. He and Thomas Smith traveled from Waitsburg to set up a sawmill at the suggestion of Anderson Cox, who speculated that the valley along the South Fork of the Palouse might make a fine location for a new settlement. They proceeded to build a log cabin with timber hauled from Walla Walla. Sawmills, brick mills and business started to grow the town. The growing community was first called Belleville, possibly after Perkins' hometown of Belleville, Illinois, but a story exists that his wife thought he named it after his former girlfriend, Belle. To dispel any hard feeling, a decision was made to call the town Colfax in honor of President Grant's first VP Schuyler Colfax. The Victorian Home was completed in 1887 where family members lived until the 1960's.

It was sold to a couple who tried to renovate but the job was too big. The aging house was purchased by the newly formed Whitman County Historical Society in 1973 for $13,900 - a sum financed through donations and loans. A series of grants and much volunteer help allowed restoration to begin. Work has been done inside to restore it to an appropriate Victorian decor, update the electrical system, remove/rebuild the porch and chimneys, repaint the exterior and many other tasks. The roof, which was also in very bad condition, was completely replaced with cedar shakes like the original. With the new paint, various architectural features stand out, in particular the quoins on the corners of the house.