Joseph Mitchell House facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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Joseph Mitchell House
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Roadside view of the house
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 Location in Indiana
Location in the United States
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| Nearest city | Smithville, Indiana |
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| Area | 5 acres (2.0 ha) |
| Built | 1835 |
| Architectural style | Federal |
| NRHP reference No. | 86001268 |
| Added to NRHP | June 13, 1986 |
The Joseph Mitchell House is a really old and important home in southern Monroe County, Indiana, United States. You can find it on Ketcham Road, just west of a small town called Smithville. This house is one of the oldest in Monroe County and is recognized as a special historic site.
History of the Mitchell House
In 1823, a man named Joseph Mitchell from Kentucky received some land in what is now Monroe County. He earned this land because he served in the War of 1812, a big conflict between the United States and Great Britain.
Six years later, in 1829, Joseph Mitchell and his family moved to this land. They first built a simple log cabin. But as their family grew, the cabin became too small. So, in 1835, Mitchell started building the brick house you see today. He finished the last details two years later. The amazing part is that the clay for the bricks came right from his own farm! He even had a special oven, called a kiln, next to the house to bake the bricks.
After living in the house for 15 years, Joseph Mitchell and his family moved to Iowa. They sold the house to Joseph's younger brother, John. The Mitchell family owned the house until 1922. After that, it had several different owners. In 1973, William and Nelda Christ bought the house and owned it for a long time.
Building the House
Joseph Mitchell designed his house in the shape of the letter "L." It is one story tall and built in the Federal style. This style was popular in the United States during the late 1700s and early 1800s.
The house sits on a strong foundation made of rubble masonry, which means it's built from rough, uneven stones. The roof is a gabled roof, meaning it has two sloping sides that meet at a ridge. It has eaves (the parts of the roof that hang over the walls) and boxed cornices (decorative moldings). The roof likely had wooden shingles originally, but today it has asphalt shingles.
House Design and Rooms
The main front of the house faces west and has four sections, called bays. It features three large windows and a door that is a little off-center. The original windows were replaced in the 1980s, but they look very similar to the old ones.
On the south side, there are no windows, only a single door that leads to the basement. This side used to have a porch, but it was removed because it was falling apart. On the east side, there is only one small window, and the north side has no windows at all. The inner part of the "L" shape, which faces north and east, has many doors and windows.
Inside, the house has four main rooms: a parlor (a formal living room), a bedroom, a "keeping room" (a family living area), and the kitchen. Soon after the house was built, a wooden addition was added to the north side. This addition included a loft, which is like a small attic room, where family members used to sleep.
The house has some cool features inside, like four big fireplaces with large mantels (the shelves above the fireplace). It also has fancy trim and beautiful white-painted poplar wood. The way the rooms are laid out is typical of a "hall-and-parlor" style house, which usually has two large rooms or two pairs of rooms.
Why It's Important
In 1986, the Joseph Mitchell House was added to the National Register of Historic Places. This is a special list of buildings, sites, and objects that are important in American history.
The house is considered important mainly because of its unique architecture. It's the third-oldest house in Monroe County, which makes it very special! Even though some things were changed over time, like the removal of the old porch, its historical value remains high.
The Joseph Mitchell House is part of a group of historic homes on Ketcham Road. It is the oldest and most historically important among them. It's also one of more than 40 properties and historic districts in Monroe County that are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
