Listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2016.
“The Criffield-Whiteley House is a private house located at 601 Main Street in Dowagiac, Michigan, United States. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2016 and was designated a Michigan Historic Site in 2019.”
Wikipedia article Criffield-Whiteley House, CC BY-SA 4.0.
One of 9 National Register listings published here for Cass County · listed in 2016 · category: Building.
Sources: the Wikipedia article · the National Register database, National Park Service
Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal wildfire occurrence database lists 6 fires within 5 miles of Criffield-Whiteley House between 2018 and 2020, burning about 7 acres in total. 2 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 use | 3 |
| Natural | 2 |
| Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 1 |
The most recent of them, most recent first, with the day each was reported and the service that recorded it.
| Date | Cause | Size | Reported by | Name on the report |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7 June 2018 | Equipment and vehicle use | 1.0 acres | Michigan Department of Natural Resources | INDIAN LAKE VFD 2018025 - 2018 |
| 3 April 2019 | Natural | 2.0 acres | Michigan Department of Natural Resources | POKAGON VFD 2019022 - 2019 |
| 24 April 2019 | Equipment and vehicle use | 1.0 acres | Michigan Department of Natural Resources | POKAGON VFD 2019031 - 2019 |
| 2 April 2020 | Natural | 1.0 acres | Michigan Department of Natural Resources | INDIAN LAKE VFD 2020018 - 2020 |
| 19 March 2018 | Equipment and vehicle use | 1.0 acres | Michigan Department of Natural Resources | POKAGON VFD 2018014 - 2018 |
| 16 March 2018 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 1.0 acres | Michigan Department of Natural Resources | INDIAN LAKE VFD 2018008 - 2018 |
Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal mineral resources record lists 3 workings within 5 miles of Criffield-Whiteley House: 2 producers, 1 prospect. 2 still produce. What was taken out: Sand and Gravel, Construction, Clay. Distance is straight-line from the map coordinates, so a quarry counted here may appear on a neighbouring settlement's page as well.
| Where | Site | Commodity | Status | Recorded |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unnamed Clay Prospect | Clay | Prospect | ||
| Cass County Pit | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Producer | ||
| Silver Creek Pit & Mill | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Producer |
Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The National Weather Service names Dowagiac, the town this property stands in, in 35 storm reports between 1993 and 2024: 26 thunderstorm wind, 4 hail, 2 flash flood, 2 flood. The reports record 1 injury. 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.
| When | Event | Place named | Harm | What the report says |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| March 2000 | Thunderstorm Wind | Dowagiac | 1 hurt, $10,000 | A strong thunderstorm microburst blew down trees, branches, and windows out of a house. A woman at the residence at the time was outside when the storm hit and suffered minor injuries from the blown debris. |
| June 2010 | Tornado (EF2) | Dowagiac | $100,000 | After leaving behind a swath of microburst winds, the storm intensified with a tornado touching down about a half mile southwest of Southwestern Michigan College, near Dowagiac. The circulation initially impacted the Pokagon subdivision with numerous homes suffering varying degrees of damage (DI: FR12 DOD: 4). The circulation continued east-southeast through mainly open and wooded areas, severely damaging numerous trees. The most extensive tree damage occurred near Michigan 62, west of Twin Lake Road where a 600 yard wide area of trees suffered extensive damage. The circulation was likely embedded within a much larger area of rear flank downdraft winds. The circulation then turned more southeast and hit a cemetery on Michigan 62, south of Cass Street. The circulation quickly dissipated after this point. Maximum winds are estimated at around 115 mph. |
| August 1993 | Thunderstorm Wind | Dowagiac | $50,000 | Between Sister lakes and Twin lakes numerous trees and power lines down with high winds reported by sheriffs dept. with no speed given. |
| June 1998 | Thunderstorm Wind | Dowagiac | $25,000 | NUMEROUS TREES AND POWER LINES BLOWN DOWN. |
| July 1997 | Thunderstorm Wind | Dowagiac | $25,000 | Trees and power lines reported downed on the south side of Dowagiac. Lightning also damaged several power transformers. |
| December 2007 | Thunderstorm Wind | Dowagiac | $20,000 | Law enforcement officials reported numerous trees and power lines down across the county. |
| May 1999 | Thunderstorm Wind | Dowagiac | $15,000 | Several trees and power lines were blown down. |
| June 2024 | Flood | Dowagiac | $10,000 | A trained spotter reported a flooded road in both directions of Depot Drive and Division Street. |
| August 2022 | Thunderstorm Wind | Dowagiac | $10,000 | Several tree branches were down in Dowagiac. Power lines are down in the street. |
| July 1997 | Thunderstorm Wind | Dowagiac | $5,000 | Cass County Central Dispatch reported trees and power lines knocked down in the Dowagiac area. |
| April 1997 | Thunderstorm Wind | Dowagiac | $5,000 | no account filed |
| July 2022 | Flood | Dowagiac | $1,000 | The public reported about one-half foot of water was over the road. |
| March 2019 | Thunderstorm Wind | Dowagiac | - | Local media reported several trees were blown down. |
| September 2018 | Thunderstorm Wind | Dowagiac | - | The public reported a tree was blown down near the intersection of Wilbur Hill Rd and Peavine St. |
| February 2017 | Thunderstorm Wind | Dowagiac | - | The public reported a few power poles were blown down on M-51. |
| June 2014 | Thunderstorm Wind | Dowagiac | - | County officials reported trees and tree limbs down throughout the county. |
| June 2014 | Thunderstorm Wind | Dowagiac | - | The public estimated wind gusts to 65 mph. |
| April 2011 | Hail | Dowagiac | - | A trained spotter reported quarter size hail falling in bursts. The hail was covering the ground in spots. |
| June 2009 | Thunderstorm Wind | Dowagiac | - | A hangar at the Dowagiac airport was severely damaged. |
| January 2008 | Thunderstorm Wind | Dowagiac | - | A few trees were blown down in Dowagiac. |
| July 2005 | Thunderstorm Wind | Dowagiac | - | Several trees down. |
| August 2003 | Thunderstorm Wind | Dowagiac | - | Trees down. |
| June 2003 | Thunderstorm Wind | Dowagiac | - | Law enforcement reported trees and power lines down in Dowagiac. |
| June 2003 | Thunderstorm Wind | Dowagiac | - | Law enforcement reported a large tree limb down in Dowagiac. |
| July 2003 | Thunderstorm Wind | Dowagiac | - | Law enforcement reported trees and power lines down in Dowagiac. |
| July 2003 | Thunderstorm Wind | Dowagiac | - | Law enforcement reported a large tree down northeast of Dowagiac. |
| July 2003 | Thunderstorm Wind | Dowagiac | - | Law enforcement reported trees down in Dowagiac. |
| August 2002 | Thunderstorm Wind | Dowagiac | - | HAM operator reported tress and power lines down in Dowagiac. |
| September 2001 | Thunderstorm Wind | Dowagiac | - | Telephone pole blown down. |
| July 1998 | Thunderstorm Wind | Dowagiac | - | NUMEROUS LARGE TREES DOWN AROUND COUNTY. |
| July 2015 | Hail | Dowagiac | - | no account filed |
| July 2015 | Hail | Dowagiac | - | no account filed |
| June 2013 | Hail | Dowagiac | - | no account filed |
| February 1997 | Flash Flood | Dowagiac | - | no account filed |
| June 1996 | Flash Flood | Dowagiac | - | no account filed |
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.
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 | Property | Distance | Listed |
|---|---|---|---|
 | Michigan Central Railroad Dowagiac Depot | 0.4 miles | 1993 |
 | First Methodist Episcopal Church of Pokagon | 5.7 miles | 2002 |
 | Thompson Road-Air Line Railroad Bridge | 7.4 miles | 1999 |
 | George Newton House | 7.9 miles | 1982 |
| National Archives record | The nomination case file for reference 16000818 in Record Group 79. |
| Wikipedia article | Community-written account of this property, licensed CC BY-SA. |
| Cass County | All 9 listed properties in this county. |
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