Experience the #1 Bed and Breakfast in Bay City's Michigan: Webster House

About The Historic Webster House

Discover Bay City & Michigan: The Historic Webster House Bed and Breakfast with a Rich History

It didn’t take long for Thomas E. Webster to enter a life of service to others. Born in 1848 to Ebon and Margaret Webster in New York, he ran away from home to join the Union Army in 1864, at age 16. After an honorable discharge from the military, he entered an educational pursuit that would take him from the Delaware Literary Institute to Cornell University to the University of Michigan.

In 1874, he moved to Bay City, Michigan, where he would live out his years. He would immediately make his mark on the city, practicing law and winning election as a Bay County probate judge in 1880. In 1886, he commissioned the construction of his majestic Fifth Street manor, where he would start his family with wife Ella Howell of Bay City, who died shortly after the birth of sons Charles and Warren. He later married Isabel Ingraham, with whom he had daughter Amelia. A house that Webster had built for Amelia is next door. It shares the driveway with the Webster House.

Thomas E. Webster’s service as a teenager in the military instilled in him a compassion for others who served. He organized the Peninsula Military Company of Bay City, the city’s first organization for war veterans. Until his death in 1940 at the age of 92, he was the last living Civil War veteran in Bay City, as well as the last member of the Grand Army of the Republic, a veterans organization. He is buried in Elm Lawn Cemetery.

Today, the Webster’s Bay City home, now the Webster House Bed and Breakfast, is a popular choice for couples looking for a romantic getaway in Michigan. The historic home features seven luxurious rooms, each with its own unique charm. Guests can enjoy a delicious breakfast in the morning, relax in the parlor with a glass of wine, or take a stroll through the garden. The Webster House is the perfect place to celebrate an anniversary, honeymoon, or simply to get away from it all.

While staying at the Webster House Bed and Breakfast, be sure to visit the nearby Dow Gardens, a world-class botanical/horticultural garden in Bay City. The gardens feature a springtime butterfly festival, an annual Christmas Walk, and hiking, skiing, and biking trails.

For more outdoor adventure, head to the Chippewa Nature Center, which is home to hiking, skiing, and biking trails, as well as an 1870s Homestead Farm. The center also hosts Maple Syrup Day, Fall Harvest, and Bio Blitz festivals.

If you’re looking for some culture, be sure to visit Northwood University, which has a fine arts gallery featuring unique jewelry, glass, pottery, and fashion accessories. The Midland Center for the Arts is also a great place to visit, as it has an art gallery, interactive museum of art, history, and science, and is home to the Midland Symphony Orchestra, Theatre Guild, Music Society, and the Matrix:Midland festival, which brings to Midland nationally known performance groups, lecturers, scientists, and performers.

We hope you enjoy your stay in Bay City & Michigan! 

Judge Thomas Bay City & Michigan

Judge Thomas Webster
Made His Mark on the Bay City Area

Bed and Breakfast Outside of Historic Webster House

Webster was also an amateur photographer and produced the images below

Webster House Bed and Breakfast History
History
History
Our History 1

Common Areas

The Historic Webster House Bed and Breakfast in Bay City, Michigan, pays the same attention to detail in its common areas as it does in its guest rooms.

Our parlors offer elegant yet comfortable places to relax and socialize. The impressive Eastlake fireplace in our northwest parlor is truly an inviting area to unwind with your favorite glass of wine or champagne, all complimentary.

Scalamandre fabrics in our custom draperies, antique furniture, and elegant decor hearkens back to a time when elegance and comfort were premier.

Our breakfast room features Asian influenced Bradbury and Bradbury custom wallpaper, a beautiful fireplace, and luxurious furnishings which make for a comfortable, yet elegant experience.

All public areas have been painstakingly restored with period wall coverings and faux painting, complimenting each other perfectly to further enhance your yesteryear experience.

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Give The Gift of Historic Webster House This Christmas

Give your loved one a very special gift of a stay at Historic Webster House. Purchase a gift certificate and save 10% through the end of the year.

Stay & Dine Package

When you stay with us for any two consecutive midweek nights from Sunday to Thursday*, we’ll add a $50 gift card to the historic Old City Hall, one of the best restaurants in Bay City.  *This offer cannot be combined with any other promotions or discounts.