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Photograph of Frank and Dorothy Ward House
Photograph by Jim Roberts, CC BY-SA 4.0. Via Wikimedia Commons.

Frank and Dorothy Ward House

Built in 1951. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2014.

From the record

“The Frank and Dorothy Ward House was a single-family residence designed by architect Yuzuru Kawahara and previously located at 257 Lakeshore Drive in Battle Creek, Michigan. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2014.”

Wikipedia article Frank and Dorothy Ward House, CC BY-SA 4.0.

One of 50 National Register listings published here for Calhoun County · listed in 2014 · category: Building · built in 1951.

Sources: the Wikipedia article · the National Register database, National Park Service

The listing

  • What is counted as historic. The nomination lists 1 building as contributing to the listing.
  • Listed as. Ward, Frank and Dorothy, House - the National Register files a house under its owner's surname.
  • Address. 257 Lakeshore Dr., Battle Creek, 49015
  • When was it listed? September 2014
  • Category. building
  • City. Battle Creek city
  • When was it built? 1951
  • National Register reference number. 14000562 - assigned by the National Park Service when the property was listed.

Fires near this property

71 since 2006

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal wildfire occurrence database lists 71 fires within 5 miles of Frank and Dorothy Ward House between 2006 and 2020, burning about 115 acres in total. 13 started naturally. None was recorded as arson. Distance is straight-line from the map coordinates, so a fire counted here may appear on a neighbouring settlement's page as well.

Reported cause Fires
Equipment and vehicle use33
Missing data/not specified/undetermined13
Natural13
Smoking5
Debris and open burning4
Recreation and ceremony2
Fireworks1

The most recent of them, most recent first, with the day each was reported and the service that recorded it.

DateCause SizeReported by Name on the report
23 September 2019Missing data/not specified/undetermined1.0 acresMichigan Department of Natural ResourcesEMMETT TOWNSHIP DPS 01205 - 2019
22 September 2020Natural1.0 acresMichigan Department of Natural ResourcesEMMETT TOWNSHIP DPS 00971 - 2020
21 September 2018Equipment and vehicle use1.0 acresMichigan Department of Natural ResourcesBATTLE CREEK FD 05331 - 2018
13 September 2018Equipment and vehicle use1.0 acresMichigan Department of Natural ResourcesBATTLE CREEK FD 05179 - 2018
8 August 2019Smoking1.0 acresMichigan Department of Natural ResourcesEMMETT TOWNSHIP DPS 00986 - 2019
21 August 2019Missing data/not specified/undetermined1.0 acresMichigan Department of Natural ResourcesBATTLE CREEK FD 05036 - 2019
8 July 2018Equipment and vehicle use1.0 acresMichigan Department of Natural ResourcesBATTLE CREEK FD 03805 - 2018
6 July 2018Missing data/not specified/undetermined1.0 acresMichigan Department of Natural ResourcesBATTLE CREEK FD 03770 - 2018

Every fire recorded in Calhoun County

Mines and quarries near this property

6 within 5 miles

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal mineral resources record lists 6 workings within 5 miles of Frank and Dorothy Ward House: 4 producers, 2 past producers. 4 still produce. What was taken out: Sand and Gravel, Construction. Distance is straight-line from the map coordinates, so a quarry counted here may appear on a neighbouring settlement's page as well.

Where SiteCommodity StatusRecorded
Calhoun Co Pit Bill Smith S&GSand and Gravel, ConstructionProducer
Calhoun County PitSand and Gravel, ConstructionProducer
Dickman Road Pit & MillSand and Gravel, ConstructionPast Producer
Dickman Road PlantSand and Gravel, ConstructionProducer
Hoffman Brothers Sand & Gravel PitSand and Gravel, ConstructionPast Producer
Rays Aggregates CompanySand and Gravel, ConstructionProducer

Every working recorded in Calhoun County

Storms near this property

45 since 1994

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The National Weather Service names Battle Creek, the town this property stands in, in 45 storm reports between 1994 and 2025: 32 thunderstorm wind, 11 hail, 1 lightning, 1 tornado. No death or injury is recorded in these reports. Each account below is quoted exactly as the forecast office filed it, from the NOAA Storm Events Database, and each date opens the federal record of that event.

WhenEvent Place namedHarm What the report says
July 2003Tornado (F1)Battle Creek$1,000,000A F1 tornado struck Calhoun county.
June 2024Thunderstorm WindBattle Creek$200,000There were numerous reports of trees and power lines.
June 2019HailBattle Creek$100,000Hail up to almost three inches in diameter was reported.
August 2000Thunderstorm WindBattle Creek$75,000no account filed
May 2004HailBattle Creek$50,000A trained spotter four miles north of Battle Creek reported one and three quarters inch diameter hail.
May 2004HailBattle Creek$50,000The public reported one and three quarters inch diameter hail on I-94 just over the Calhoun county line.
May 2004Thunderstorm WindBattle Creek$50,000Several trees were blown down in Battle Creek.
May 2004Thunderstorm WindBattle Creek$50,000The public four miles south southwest of Battle Creek reported that one and a half inch diameter hail and wind gusts to 65 m.p.h. occurred with a severe thunderstorm in that area.
July 2001Thunderstorm WindBattle Creek$50,000Several trees and power lines were blown down in Battle Creek and across Emmit township. One tree fell on power lines and a parked car.
July 2003Thunderstorm WindBattle Creek$30,000Numerous trees and power lines were blown down three miles south of Battle Creek.
July 2005Thunderstorm WindBattle Creek$25,000Several trees were blown down five miles southeast of Battle Creek and also around 6 Mile and B Drive. Numerous trees were blown down in Lakeview and several trees were blown down in Bedford.
May 2004HailBattle Creek$25,000An emergency manager reported seven eighths inch hail in Battle Creek.
June 2004Thunderstorm WindBattle Creek$25,000Law enforcement reported that 1.5 foot diameter trees were blown down and some were uprooted.
August 2003Thunderstorm WindBattle Creek$25,000Numerous trees were blown down by severe thunderstorm wind gusts in the city of Battle Creek.
July 2001Thunderstorm WindBattle Creek$25,000A large tree was blown down and blocked the intersection of Kirby and Waubascon roads. Several tree limbs that were two to three inches in diameter were also blown down.
July 1997Thunderstorm WindBattle Creek$25,000Trees and power lines were downed in a few locations across the city of Battle Creek. Power was knocked out for 2,600 Consumers Energy customers in the city. Lightweight patio furniture was blown around on the grounds of the Team U.S. National Hot-Air Balloon Championship and Air Show at Kellogg Regional Airport during 40 mph wind gusts.
June 2001Thunderstorm WindBattle Creek$25,000no account filed
June 2006HailBattle Creek$20,000Trained spotters reported hail as large as one and a quarter inches in diameter two miles south of Marshall.
June 2005Thunderstorm WindBattle Creek$20,000no account filed
August 2001Thunderstorm WindBattle Creek$20,000no account filed
March 2006HailBattle Creek$15,000Trained spotters and an emergency manager reported one inch diameter hail from east of Battle Creek to near Marshall.
August 2003Thunderstorm WindBattle Creek$15,000A 60 m.p.h. wind gust was reported in Battle Creek.
August 2003Thunderstorm WindBattle Creek$15,000Several trees were blown down in the city of Battle Creek.
May 1998LightningBattle Creek$11,000The Battle Creek Enquirer reported a lightning strike caused $8,000 in damage to a married couple's rented home at 17 N. 20th Street in Battle Creek. The fire started in the basement and smoke filled the home, damaging $3,000 worth of contents according to Battle Creek fire-fighters. No one was injured.
May 2006Thunderstorm WindBattle Creek$10,000Several trees were blown down in the city of Battle Creek.
August 2004Thunderstorm WindBattle Creek$10,000An emergency manager reported that power lines were blown down in and just south of downtown Battle Creek.
May 1998Thunderstorm WindBattle Creek$10,000Several trees and power lines downed in the City of Battle Creek. No injuries or property damage was reported.
May 1998Thunderstorm WindBattle Creek$10,000Several large limbs and a few power lines downed in the city of Battle Creek. Reports were scattered across the city, rather than from one distinct location.
August 2002Thunderstorm WindBattle Creek$10,000no account filed
June 2001HailBattle Creek$10,000no account filed
September 2001Thunderstorm WindBattle Creek$10,000no account filed
May 2005HailBattle Creek$5,000A severe thunderstorm produced three quarters inch diameter hail one mile south of Battle Creek.
August 1996Thunderstorm WindBattle Creek$3,000no account filed
December 2007Thunderstorm WindBattle Creek$2,000A tree was blown down across a road.
March 2025Thunderstorm WindBattle Creek-Steeple toppled from a church. Several large trees had damage.
June 2014HailBattle Creek-Trained spotters reported hail ranging anywhere from around an inch to up to one and three quarters inches in diameter.
August 2011HailBattle Creek-A trained spotter reported seven eighths inch diameter hail in downtown Battle Creek.
July 2010Thunderstorm WindBattle Creek-A severe thunderstorm produced a measured wind gust of 62 mph at the Battle Creek airport. A county official in Battle Creek reported that the top portion of a 35 inch in diameter oak tree was knocked over.
July 1998Thunderstorm WindBattle Creek-Trees and power lines were downed in Leroy Township near the intersection of Michigan Highway 66 and E Drive South and near 4-Mile Road and F Drive South. Power outages were reported in the Battle Creek area, where approximately 1,180 residential and business customers were affected. Most power loss was blamed on lightning strikes. Calhoun County Central Dispatch also reported several trees were downed in the eastern half of Calhoun County. No damage estimate was available.
July 1998Thunderstorm WindBattle Creek-Tree down on house, unknown property damage.
June 1998HailBattle Creek-Amateur radio operators reported 1-inch diameter hail in downtown Battle Creek at 1:18 am EDT.
June 1998Thunderstorm WindBattle Creek-City of Battle Creek Emergency Management reported trees and power lines were downed across Battle Creek, Pennfield, and Emmett Townships and within the city limits of Battle Creek between 1:30 and 1:40 am EDT. Wind gust estimates ranged from 60 to 100 mph, mainly over the southwest section of the City of Battle Creek in Battle Creek Township, where most of the damage was reported. Several uprooted trees and at least one damaged vehicle were reported on Hamilton Lane off Capital Avenue SW in the village of Lakeview, just southwest of downtown Battle Creek. Other scattered reports of trees and power lines having been felled came from Pennfield and Emmett Townships. Approximately 4,000 residents lost power in and around the city. No injuries were reported and damage estimates were not available.
June 1994Thunderstorm WindBattle Creek-Numerous trees and power lines downed. Reported by Battle Creek Emergency Services. Additional tree and power line damage was reported across northern Calhoun county over next 30 minutes.
June 1994Thunderstorm WindBattle Creek-Reported at Kellogg International Airport.
January 1996Thunderstorm WindBattle Creek-no account filed

Every storm recorded in Calhoun County

Map coverage status

No historic map-sheet match is published for this property yet. That does not mean no map exists. This record needs a coordinate-quality review before it can be joined to a sheet boundary. Browse the county's mapped places while that work is pending.

Listed places nearby

6 within 8 miles

Other National Register properties close enough to walk or drive between, ordered by distance from this one. Both positions come from the same geocoding pass that matched these properties to their map sheets.

Photograph PropertyDistance Listed
Penniman Castle2.8 miles2001
Milk Producers Company Barn2.8 miles2002
Battle Creek City Hall2.8 miles1984
Battle Creek Post Office2.8 miles1972
City Hall Historic District2.9 miles1996
Old-Merchants National Bank and Trust Co. Building2.9 miles2018

Sources for this property

National Archives recordThe nomination case file for reference 14000562 in Record Group 79.
Wikipedia articleCommunity-written account of this property, licensed CC BY-SA.
Calhoun CountyAll 50 listed properties in this county.

Provenance

  • Listing record. National Park Service National Register of Historic Places, listed-properties dataset, current to 2026-05-22.
  • Map join. Address geocoded through the United States Census geocoder, then tested against the published boundary of every sheet in the USGS Historical Topographic Map Collection.
  • How this page is made. Listing fields come from federal records; map-sheet coverage is a labelled coordinate-to-boundary calculation, not a source-field claim.
  • Wildfire. Short, Karen C. 2022. Spatial wildfire occurrence data for the United States, 1992-2020 [FPA_FOD_20221014]. 6th Edition. Fort Collins, CO: Forest Service Research Data Archive. https://doi.org/10.2737/RDS-2013-0009.6 Collected with United States Government funding and usable without additional permissions or fees.
  • Mines and quarries. USGS Mineral Resources Data System (MRDS) https://mrdata.usgs.gov/mrds/ A work of the United States government, no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105.
  • Storms. NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/stormevents/ A work of the United States government, no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105. Narratives are quoted verbatim from the National Weather Service report and are not edited or summarised.