Mr. and Mrs. Thomas Carrothers were married in 1909 and rented a farm in the Austin area. In the fall of 1913, they moved to the quarter-section north of the Museum which was the original homestead of the parents of Mr. Carrothers. They stayed there for three years living in a little house on the property. During that time, they rented the north quarter of the present Museum grounds, as well as working the quarter they lived on. The north quarter was originally homesteaded by Mr. G. Pell. The quarter-section where the house now stands was originally CPR land, later acquired by Mr. H. Tingly. Mr. and Mrs. Carrothers bought both these quarter-sections in 1916.

For several years during the 1800s on the south quarter, the Tingly family lived in a house with a sod roof. In 1903, Mr. Tingly built the house which still stands on the property. Mr. and Mrs. Carrothers moved into this house when they purchased the land. At that time there were already four children and more room was needed. They moved the little house from the parent’s farm and attached it to the Tingly house for a kitchen. This kitchen is the single-storey section of the house and is visible in the left hand side of the above photo.