75-77 South Main St.
West side of street
This house, a Midwest adaptation of the Greek Revival style, was built circa 1855.
The original sections of this Greek Revival style house probably date from 1855 when tax records listed G. B. Bartlett as the owner. Lee Bingham, manufacturer of harnesses and farm implements, and owner of a woolen mill and foundry, apparently resided here from 1862 to 1878. The 1872 map of the Village has the footprint of a building on this site. Typical features of the Greek Revival style are the low pitched one and 1/2 story section with a single story wing to the north, and the porch extending along the street facing facade. While the street facade probably appears much as it did originally, the house has long been used as a two family residence resulting in changes to the interior and exterior. However, the two front doors may have been original and not an accommodation to the the two-family use since it was not unusual in an L-shaped Greek Revival to have one door for the entrance to the "Sunday" parlor and another door for the family entrance. For that matter it was not unusual in any house of that time to have two such entrances.
Official Property Description:
- Lot 8 & the south 1/2 of Lot 7 Block 26 of Nelson W. Clark's Original Plat of the Village in the Southwest 1/4 of Section 20 in Independence Townshi
- Lot 68 of the Assessor's Plat.
Significant Property History:
- 1844 Silas Smith, Lot 8 Block 26, assessed value $100.
- 1846 George "Toffy, Pratt and Co.", Lot 8 Block 26, assessed value $35.
- 1847 David Judson, Lot 8 Block 26, assessed value $35.
- 1847 David W. Lawrence, "Youngs Co.", Lot 7 Block 26, assessed value $70.
- 1849 Arthur Davis, Lot 7 Block 26, assessed value $80.
- 1849 Jesse Millard, Lot 8 Block 26, assessed value $62.
- 1850 Jesse "Milton", Lot 8 Block 26, assessed value $65. Milton H. Clark, Lot 7 Block 26, assessed value $90. No records as of yet for 1851, 1852, 1853 or 1854
- 1855 G. B. Bartlett, Lot 8 Block 26, assessed value $425. (he also has Lots 7 & 10 Block 7, assessed value $80)
- 1856 Joshua M. Clayton, Lot 8 Block 26, assessed value $400.
- 1862 Lee Bingham, Lot 8 Block 26, assessed value $400.
- 1870 Bingham had 18'x 24' in the southeast corner of Lot 1[?] Block 26.
- 1872 Map of the Village has the footprint of a building, owner, Lee Bingham.
- 1878 Lee Bingham says Lot 6, but is corrected later to Lot 8 & the south 1/2 of Lot 7, assessed value $450. (He also had another piece on Block 26.)
- 1874 P. Tregent, Lot 8 & the south 1/2 of Lot 7.
- 1880 Mary F. McKeand (clearly written as such, not McKeund as on Building-Structure Inventory Form.) The previous Lot number error was corrected here. Lot 8 & 7 Block 26, assessed value $800
Architecture Style:
