About Us

Hawthorne House is located in the small western Montana town of Polson. It is a two story English Tudor house with seven gables. The quiet shady street, just one block from the shores of Flathead Lake, welcomes the weary traveler.

Karen is from a pioneer family and was born and raised in Polson. Many of the antiques in the Hawthorne House were handed down through her family. She is an eager and accurate historian. She teaches Title 1, grades K-3. She loves to visit with people, enjoys sewing, crocheting and is a novice quilter. Karen & Gerry are both Montana natives and are excellent sources of information about area attractions and activities.

The story of the McIntires of Polson began in the early 1890s when owners of the Great Northern Railroad enticed people out west with the promise of tillable land. The McIntires traveled by train to Montana. Their personal effects were in the boxcar, and the family traveled in the caboose. Twenty years later, the Flathead Indian Reservation opened to white settlers. The McIntires established a hotel and trading post on Flathead Lake, just blocks from the present site of Hawthorne House.

Artifacts, tools, clothing, and dishes contribute to the displays at the Hawthorne House. In one room is a richly beaded jacket and gloves that are among Karen's most treasured antiques. She recalls how her grandfather spoke with pride about his friends from the Salish-Kootenai tribe. In another room, a crochet hat from the flapper era and a veiled black piece with a pheasant feather are on display. The kitchen wall holds a display of antique baking utensils and spices plus a hoosier baking center.

Karen enjoys baking. Her breakfasts are an event celebrated each morning around a big, friendly oak table.