Several historic buildings in area on national register

Thursday, November 20, 2008

Putnam County is rich with history. This is evident by the number of local buildings, homes and structures that are on the National Register of Historic Places.

Often people think only of homes being on the registry but structures like iron and covered bridges, farms, churches and other commercial buildings are often included, say Historic Preservation officials.

In fact, in Greencastle the Courthouse Square District bounded by College Avenue, Walnut Street, Market and Franklin Streets are included in the registry. These buildings date back to 1800's and as far forward as 1949. They include architecture that is late Victorian as well as late 19th and 20th Century Revival.

Two well-known sites are the Brick Chapel United Methodist Church just north of Greencastle and the Putnamville Presbyterian Church (also known as Putnamville Methodist Church) located on the town green in Putnamville.

The Presbyterian Church will be 175 years old next summer. According to Ann Phipps, a member of the Putnam County Historical Preservation Society, the church is the oldest church in the state to have continuous services.

"The church even has an old belfry and bell with a cord. We ring it every Christmas," Phipps told a group of visitors recently.

Bridge No. 159, known as the Reelsville Bridge, was added to the preservation list in 1999. It is located on 650 W. over Big Walnut Creek in Reelsville. The old concrete arch bridge, built in 1929, was replaced by a two-lane structure in a million dollar project that was many years in the making. The old iron bridge was left standing to be restored as a pedestrian walkway. In 2007 County Commissioners approved preserving the bridge and received federal funds for the work on it as a condition of its preservation. The project cost around $1 million, and the bridge is open only to foot traffic.

Two farms are registered as well. They are the Appleyard (Alexander C. Stevenson farm or Ballard Farm) in Greencastle and the Melville McHaffie Farm (Schuyler Arnold Seed Farm) in Stilesville.

East College, DePauw University

DePauw University, which is so closely tied to the growth and development of Greencastle and Putnam County, has several structures on the registry.

These include East College, McKim Observatory, and the Delta Kappa Epsilon Fraternity House.

With close ties to the University, the F.P House known as The Towers sits on Seminary Street.

Several homes are also listed and include The Boulders on E. Washington St., Greencastle, the Alfred Hart House on W. Walnut, the O'Hair House near Brick Chapel, the Lycurgus Stoner House on Manhattan Rd. and the William Van Arsdel House known as The Elms on Wood Street in Greencastle.

The National Register of Historic Places is the official list of the Nation's historic places worthy of preservation. Authorized under the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966, the National Register is part of a national program to coordinate and support public and private efforts to identify, evaluate and protect the historic and archeological resources.

Included among the over 80,000 listings that make up the National Register are: all historic areas in the National Park System and over 2,400 National Historic Landmarks, which have been designated by the Secretary of the Interior because of their importance to all Americans.

Information about the National Register of Historic Places is available on their Web site at www.natonalregisterofistoricplaces.com or by calling 202-345-2213.

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  • Anybody know where the William Van Arsdale

    house is on Wood Street?

    My grandmother who passed away some years

    back had a house at 203 Wood Street.

    Any help appreciated. Thanks.

    -- Posted by valdostas on Thu, Nov 20, 2008, at 1:27 AM
  • "Anybody know where the William Van Arsdale house is on Wood Street?"

    It is the residence of the DePauw University president, commonly referred to as "The Elms."

    -- Posted by hoosierbychoice on Thu, Nov 20, 2008, at 2:09 PM
  • Ok Thank You Very Much for the help.

    I just read the story about the Holiday house

    tour and realized that this house was mentioned.

    Kinda confusing though they have the address

    at 125 Wood Street. My grandmother's house

    was at 203 Wood Street. She lived near door to

    that house. In fact the last time I was on her

    property there was a chain link face dividing the

    property lines.

    -- Posted by valdostas on Fri, Nov 21, 2008, at 3:41 AM
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