Our History

The Montague Inn has a rich history behind its name. As you enter this historic mansion in Saginaw, you are immediately captivated by the 1930s Georgian-style furnishings found throughout the inn. The family’s history is still present as you discover hidden closets or stay in one of the inn’s exquisite antique-filled guest rooms.

A stay at the mansion offers an escape from the present, allowing your mind and body to wander back to a simpler time. Picture yourself relaxing in a wingback chair, sipping a glass of cognac beside a crackling fireplace in the formal library, or strolling through the historic bar, where quaint photographs highlight past guests such as Bob Hope, Don Johnson, Rita Moreno, and Mike Farrell from M*A*S*H.

The mansion was built in 1929 for Mr. Robert Montague and his wife, Edwina. They had two children, Mary Sage and Robert. Nestled on eight acres and bordering Lake Linton, the mansion spans more than 12,000 square feet and cost $125,000 to build during the Great Depression. It was an enormous undertaking for its time and employed hundreds of local tradesmen over the course of two years.

Mr. and Mrs. Montague were originally from Caro. Mr. Montague was a local businessman who made his fortune by developing a formula from a common sugar beet by-product to create hand creams and soaps. After his death in the early 1950s, the family sold the business to the Andrew Jergens Company.

The home was always well maintained. Mrs. Montague was known for caring for injured World War II soldiers who arrived at the Potter Street station. She would bring them into the home, bandage their wounds, and care for them until they were well enough to travel. Because the Red Cross had strict limits on bandages during the war, she had to quietly bring the injured soldiers into the house and draw the curtains. The secret rooms in the library were also used to hide valuables and liquor during Prohibition, as well as to provide an emergency escape route.

The household staff included one cook, one head maid, and one additional maid, all of whom resided in the northwest wing of the mansion, in the rooms now known as the Rust, Hulda, and Norman Little rooms. The gardener and chauffeur were housed above the carriage house in the rooms now known as Eddy and Morley.

The family primarily enjoyed the home during the winter months, as their summer residence was located on a northern lake. The Montague family lived in the mansion until the late 1950s. In the early 1960s, the City of Saginaw purchased the home from the estate. For 15 years, the city’s detective bureau and public health department operated offices inside the home. In 1979, those offices were relocated, and the mansion remained vacant for five years until the city sold the property, including all eight acres, for development.

The mansion was eventually restored to its original grandeur and made its grand debut as The Montague Inn Bed and Breakfast in June 1986. Today, it offers lodging 365 days a year with 17 guest rooms, each named after members of the Montague family or influential Saginaw businesspeople.