09/24/2025
Do you remember Doctor Packard, a Civil War surgeon, who built the house later known as the Crusader Arms, which was said to be one of the best built houses in Sturgis? Well, that was in 1864, so you may not remember. (Later known as the Christmere House)
History....In 1869 Dr. Nelson Packard, who was an assistant surgeon in the Civil War, commissioned Fred H. Spier and William G. Rohn to build a Queen Anne brick home on North St. (to be named Pleasant in 1904), to serve as the first hospital for the city. In 1915, this mansion was sold to Dr. Fred Robinson. He and his wife Mildred continued to use the house in the same manner until 1929, when the 3rd floor was remodeled and the home was a lovely rooming house. At this time Mrs. Robinson named the home Crusader Arms in memory of her ancestral family which she traced back to the Crusade of Richard the Lion Hearted. The next fifty years were not kind until Mrs. Johns purchased the home in May of 1984. This Queen Anne home will be a national register
