Ginn's Furniture Store facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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Ginn's Furniture Store
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Side of the store; note the flood markers on the side
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 Location in Kentucky
Location in the United States
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| Location | Main St., Milton, Kentucky |
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| Area | 0.2 acres (0.081 ha) |
| MPS | Trimble County MRA |
| NRHP reference No. | 83002881 |
| Added to NRHP | July 21, 1983 |
The Ginn's Furniture Store is an old and important building in Milton, Kentucky, USA. It was built a long time ago, in the late 1800s. This building is special because it has survived many big floods over the years.
Contents
Milton's Story: A Town by the River
Milton is a hilly area located right next to the Ohio River in Trimble County, Kentucky. The very first settlers arrived here in 1785. Just four years later, Milton officially became a town.
The river was always very important for business in Milton. Across the river is Madison, Indiana, which was a big trading center. A ferry boat started carrying people and goods between the two towns in 1804. Later, the Milton-Madison Bridge connected them in 1929.
By the mid-1800s, Milton was doing well. It had many businesses, like a factory, two blacksmith shops, a hotel, and several grocery stores. But after the Civil War, things changed. Trains became more popular than river boats. Since Trimble County didn't have a railroad, the local economy became weaker.
Building Styles and Surviving Floods
Even with tough times, people in Milton built many new buildings in the late 1800s. These buildings often had a simple, local style. This was different from the grander styles popular before the Civil War.
New buildings from this time often had small, fancy decorations. Many of these decorations were made in factories. Ginn's Furniture Store is a good example of this style. It has small details like decorations around the windows and a fancy edge near the roof.
Sadly, many old buildings in Milton have not survived. The city faced many big floods in the late 1800s. These floods destroyed almost everything in the downtown area.
What Makes the Building Special?
The Ginn's Furniture Store was built sometime in the late 1800s. It is made of brick and sits on a strong limestone base. It is one of only two old brick business buildings left in Milton today.
The front of the building has two stories and six large window sections. The sides have eight window sections. You can enter the building through two doors at the front or three doors on the side. The side doors have tall, narrow windows next to them.
The whole building has a hip roof, which slopes down on all sides. There is a chimney near each end of the roof. Inside, one of the most impressive parts is the ceiling. It is made of pressed tin and is still the original ceiling from when the building was built.
Protecting History
In the early 1980s, experts from the Kentucky Heritage Council looked at old buildings in Trimble County. They wanted to find important buildings to protect. Because of their survey, thirty-three buildings and one historic area in the county were suggested for the National Register of Historic Places.
Almost all of them were added to the Register in 1983 and 1984. By that time, only six business buildings built before 1937 were still standing downtown. Ginn's Furniture Store was one of them.
It was added to the National Register in 1983. This was mainly because it was one of the few old buildings left in Milton's flood zone. It was also considered the most important building in the whole city from an architectural point of view.
