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Calendar Rohrbough House
Calendar Rohrbough House.jpg
View from the southwest
Calendar Rohrbough House is located in Illinois
Calendar Rohrbough House
Location in Illinois
Calendar Rohrbough House is located in the United States
Calendar Rohrbough House
Location in the United States
Location 3rd and Washington Sts., Kinmundy, Illinois
Area less than one acre
Built 1875
Architectural style Italianate
NRHP reference No. 79000857
Added to NRHP September 6, 1979

The Calendar Rohrbough House is a special old home located in Kinmundy, Illinois. It stands at 3rd and Washington Streets. This historic house was built in 1875 for Calendar Rohrbough. He was an important local businessman and a leader in the community. The house is designed in a cool style called Italianate. Because it's so unique and important, it was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1979. This list helps protect America's historic buildings.

What Does the House Look Like?

The Calendar Rohrbough House has a distinct Italianate design. Imagine a house with a fancy, decorative look.

Outside Features

  • A wide porch, called a verandah, wraps around two sides of the house. It covers the south and west parts.
  • This porch has decorative pieces called scroll brackets. These are found under the roof's edge, known as the cornice. They also sit at the top of the porch's support posts.
  • More scroll brackets decorate the cornice of the main house roof. The roof itself is a hip roof, meaning all sides slope downwards to the walls.
  • The windows on the outside are tall and narrow. Each window has an arched brick lintel above it. A lintel is a strong piece of material that supports the wall above a window or door.

Inside Details

  • Inside, the house has several rooms. They are set up around a main hallway and a staircase.
  • The rooms are decorated with beautiful oak wood trim.
  • The doors inside the house have decorative oak grilles above them.
  • Experts from the Illinois Historic Structures Survey think this house is the best example of the Italianate style left in Kinmundy.

Who Lived Here?

The Calendar Rohrbough House has a rich history, connected to important people in Kinmundy.

Calendar Rohrbough: The First Owner

  • Calendar Rohrbough was born in a place that is now West Virginia.
  • He moved to Kinmundy, Illinois, in 1857.
  • During the Civil War, he fought for the Union Army from 1862 to 1865. He became a captain in the 118th Illinois Volunteer Infantry Regiment.
  • After the war, Rohrbough returned to Kinmundy. He helped start two important financial places: the Kinmundy First National Bank and the Kinmundy Savings and Loan Association.
  • He was also very active in local government. He was elected mayor of Kinmundy.
  • In 1888, he even tried to become a member of the U.S. Congress.

Fred O. Grissom: Another Important Resident

  • After Calendar Rohrbough passed away, Fred O. Grissom bought the house in 1925.
  • Like Rohrbough, Grissom also served as the mayor of Kinmundy.
  • He was also the city's postmaster for 23 years.
  • For 18 years, Grissom was the editor and publisher of the local newspaper, the Kinmundy Express.
  • Grissom lived in the house until he passed away in 1978.

The Calendar Rohrbough House was officially added to the National Register of Historic Places on September 6, 1979. This means it's recognized as a significant part of American history.

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