Every room at the Montague Inn has a story, and the building itself has one of the best in Saginaw. Here is how a Depression-era dream home became the beloved bed & breakfast it is today.
A mansion built to last (1929)
Robert and Edwina Montague commissioned the 12,000-square-foot Georgian mansion in 1929, at a cost of roughly $125,000 — an extraordinary sum during the Great Depression. Local tradesmen spent two years building it on eight acres bordering Lake Linton.
A fortune from an unlikely source
Mr. Montague made his money from ingenuity: a formula derived from a common sugar-beet by-product, used to manufacture hand cream and soaps. The couple raised two children here — Mary Sage and Robert — whose names live on in two of the inn's guest rooms today.
Secrets, soldiers and society
The mansion holds its share of intrigue. Hidden rooms off the library were used to store valuables and liquor during Prohibition — and as an emergency escape route. During the Second World War, Mrs. Montague opened her home to care for injured soldiers from the nearby Potter Street station.
From City Hall to bed & breakfast
In the early 1960s the City of Saginaw bought the mansion and used it for municipal offices until 1979. After five years standing vacant, it was lovingly restored and reopened in June 1986 as the Montague Inn — its guest rooms named for the Montague family and prominent figures of Saginaw's past.
Step back in time today
A stay still feels like a journey to a more gracious era — a glass of cognac by the fire, a stroll through the gardens along Lake Linton. Read more on our history page, or book a room and experience it yourself.