Pliny and Adelia Fay House facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
|
|
Pliny and Adelia Fay House
|
|
|
U.S. Historic district
Contributing property |
|
 |
|
 Location in Iowa
Location in the United States
|
|
| Location | 112 Locust St. Muscatine, Iowa |
|---|---|
| Area | less than one acre |
| Built | 1854 |
| Architectural style | Italianate |
| Part of | West Hill Historic District (ID06000423) |
| NRHP reference No. | 98000382 |
| Added to NRHP | April 23, 1998 |
The Pliny and Adelia Fay House is a special old house in Muscatine, Iowa, United States. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1998, which means it's recognized as an important historical building. This house is also part of a larger area called the West Hill Historic District.
Contents
The Story of the Fay Family and Their Home
Who Were Pliny and Adelia Fay?
Pliny Fay was one of the first people to settle in a town called Bloomington, which later became Muscatine. He moved there in 1837 to join his brother, Edward. The Fay brothers were very involved in the new town's business, government, and community life.
They opened the second pharmacy (a place that sells medicine) in town. They worked together until Edward passed away in 1848. Pliny then partnered with Frederick H. Stone, and they continued the business for at least ten more years.
Adelia St. John also came from New England and settled in Bloomington early on. Her brothers, William and Hamilton St. John, were involved in buying and selling land in the area. Pliny and Adelia got married in 1840.
Building and Moving the House
By 1853, the Fays had enough money to buy land on a hill overlooking the Mississippi River. Records show that their house was built the very next year, in 1854. We don't know who designed or built it.
The Fay family lived here with their two daughters and one son. Their daughters got married in 1867. Pliny's mother also lived with them until she passed away in 1871.
Sometime between 1866 and 1874, the house had to be moved from its first spot. This was because the land along the riverbank was washing away badly due to erosion. The Fays sold the house around 1872 or 1873 and moved to Santa Cruz, California, because of health reasons.
What Does the House Look Like?
A Mix of Styles
The Pliny and Adelia Fay House shows off a mix of two different architectural styles: Italianate and Georgian.
You can see the Italianate style in parts like the porch, the front entrance (called a vestibule), the round-headed window on the main front of the house (the facade), and the decorative brackets under the roof (called eaves).
The house also has features that are more common in the Georgian style. These include a roof that isn't very steep, a special type of window called a Palladian window, and chimneys that are placed evenly on both sides of the house.
Why Different Styles?
Having a mix of styles like this was common in Iowa's river towns back then. It shows how new ideas from the frontier areas blended with older traditions from places like New England, where many early settlers came from.
