Exterior Pics: Gothic Revival - 510 Main Street, Rising Sun

Interior Pics : Gothic Revival - 510 Main Street

(Room and doorway on first floor - similar flooring, wallpaper, woodwork throughout)

Landing on second floor. 3 small rooms off of landing.

40+ years of water around chimney on 2nd floor - looks good to me.

Fireplace, 1st floor, inside front room. All woodwork has this strange faux-graining on it, but is clean and in good shape.

Only "plumbing" in the house. Runs to well/cistern outside. There is a large brick cellar underneath the kitchen addition.

Unknown Photographer. “IN-195-1 Exterior, North Elevation.” Patriot, IN 1982. From Library of Congress: Historic American Buildings Survey. < http://memory.loc.gov/cgi-bin/displayPhoto.pl?path=/pnp/habshaer/in/in0200/in0267/photos&topImages=065872pr.jpg&topLinks=065872pv.jpg,065872pu.tif&title=1.%20%20EXTERIOR,%20NORTH%20ELEVATION%20%3Cbr%3EHABS%20IND,78-PAT.V,1-1&displayProfile=0 >. (accessed August 28, 2006).

The Merit-Tandy Farmstead

The Merit-Tandy Farmstead: Summary of Data

The Merit-Tandy farmstead is located 2.5 miles northeast of Patriot in Switzerland County, Indiana. The area was opened for settlement in 1795, and Patriot was settled in 1810. The city thrived along with many other river towns after the invention of the steamboat. A major fire in 1924 and the flood of 1937, in addition to the end of the steamboat era, have since led to a general decline in population and commerce within the community.

The land on which the Merit-Tandy farmstead is located was first deeded in 1806 as part of a larger tract, and passed through the hands of several absentee owners. In 1850, Arthur Humphrey purchased the land and built his home there soon after. Humphrey then sold the property to his son-in-law, James Merit, in 1867. Due to financial troubles, the home was foreclosed in 1891 by the banker James B. Tandy, and then purchased by his son Carroll. The Tandy family owned the property until 1967, though they never resided there. The home was used to house tenant farming families during this period. The farmstead was sold to the Tillotson family in 1967, before finally being purchased by Indianapolis Power & Light.

The house itself is a variation on a five-bay façade Greek Revival-style home. It is unusual because, though it is a one-story building, it has a hip-roof which is normally only seen on two-story homes. It is of brick construction, with later wood additions on the south and west sides. The foundation is of field stone and concrete block. The outer condition is sound, though the interior is in extremely poor shape due to termites, water damage, and various stages of remodeling. There are two outbuildings – an ice/smoke house and a wood-framed bank barn with a silo – which are also a part of the National Register listing.

Summary of photographs and drawings:

There are 13 black and white photographs. HABS IND,78-PAT.V1-2, -3 show the exterior of the home from the North, West, and South. HABS IND,78-PAT.V1-4 and -5 show exterior details of the East main door. HABS IND,78-PAT.V1-6 is a photograph of the fireplace on the east wall of the parlor. HABS IND,78-PAT.V1-7, -8, -9, and-10 display various interior details of the front chamber, including a fireplace, a window, and an original doorknob. HABS IND,78-PAT.V1-11 shows the interior and fireplace on the west wall of the central chamber. HABS IND,78-PAT.V1-12 and -13 show interior views of the roof rafters from the attic.

There are 6 drawings, which appear to be scans of a catalogue of historic homes. The first image is a text of the history of the home, and the second shows a map of the township along with more information. The third image is a map of the farmstead. The fourth image provides a floor plan of the original home.[1]

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[1] Wagoner, Norman. “Merit-Tandy Farmstead, RR 1, Box 225, Patriot vicinity, Switzerland, IN.” Historic American Buildings Survey. Washington, DC: National Park Service. From Library of Congress: Historic American Buildings Survey. < http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.pnp/hhh.in0267 > (accessed August 28, 2010).