Legend and historic beauty are two of the allures to the Greek revival style home at 720 Hickory St. in Niles.

At 181 years old, the home has plenty of both qualities.

For Jeanne Watson’s grandfather, G.D. Benson, hopes of coming into contact with legendarily buried gold on the property partly inspired the family to purchase the home in 1920.

As legend would have it, a former Niles banker George Kimmel is said to have grown up in the house and stored a quarter of a million dollars somewhere on the property, before his mysterious disappearance. Kimmel was thought to have re-appeared, but it was later discovered that a man by the name Andrew White of was impersonating him, according to Watson.

“My grandfather was sure that gold was here somewhere,” Watson said.

Watson serves as the chair of the Niles Public Arts Commission. She said her grandparents never found the money. Her mother and father bought the house from her grandparents in 1940. In 2007, Watson inherited the house and she said she wanted to help keep the house’s story alive.

Two years of renovating and about $70,000 later, Watson has done just that. Though the home is not on the official historic register, Watson said it is likely the oldest home in Niles.

Now she is hoping someone will buy the home and have some stories of their own to add to the historic walls.

Standing in the house Monday afternoon, Watson showed off the final product, which is now selling through Remax for the cost of $79,000. Watson said undergoing the project was not to gain financial benefit, rather she wanted the old home restored to its former beauty and ready for a new owner and the next chapter in its history.

“My hope is that everybody would adopt an old house and do this,” Watson said. “There are so many beautiful old houses. This house is good for another 100 years. I am very pleased with out how it turned.”

The 1350-square-foot home features three bedrooms and one bathroom, with a gas fireplace in the center room. The structure is still the original as are the windows. The original stone foundation can be seen in the basement, where a piece of coal from the original coal-burning furnace was found.

When her grandparents bought the house, they discovered additional secrets about the house.

Cracking open a door above the basement stairs, Watson showed a nine-foot by nine-foot space, where she believes fugitives might have hidden. The space led Watson and her grandparents to believe that the house might have once served as a stop on the Underground Railroad.

“He [Benson] thought there had been people in there. There were signs of food and paper,” Watson said. “They were very sure, but it is legend so I do not know.”

The St. Joseph History Museum has captured southwest Michigan’s role in the Underground Railroad, which aided fugitives who sought to find freedom from slavery in the pre-Civil War era.

Gary Kelley, of Niles a home repair technician has helped to bring Watson’s renovation vision to life. Kelley has worked in the field for 38 years.

“It seemed that with every little detail you keep finding more and more and more stuff that needs to be completed,” Kelley said.

To restore the home, the sinking south side of the home had to fixed. The floor, in the downstairs bedroom had separated from the wall in some places, leaving a 1- to 1.5- inch gap.

In addition to the Kimmel family, the house served as a home to Watson until she was 5 years old. Though she does not remember much about living in the home, it is clear that there is a connection between her and the old walls.

She said she hopes the next people who live there share the same connection.

“[It would be good for] someone who loves historical houses,” Watson said. “And someone who will take very good care of it.”