The home at
the corner of 37 and 161 has
been a beacon for our community for nearly 140 years. Many of our
village and township residents have lived or worked in that house over
the years. Most of us did not know much about the man for whom the
house was built until just recently, but he and his family actually had
a large impact on the development of our village, and regional
influence as activists for the abolition of slavery prior to the Civil
War.
The house itself is a classic example of an architectural style that
many people still find very beautiful. The Victorian times during which
the home was built were near the end of the Industrial Revolution, and
this Italianate style both reflected classic forms and used new tools
and methods for its construction. It was hard for many of us in the
village to believe that such a well-built and beautiful home would be
slated to be demolished. It still seemed possible to have a long useful
life ahead of it: although the exterior was weatherbeaten and
un-maintained, the interior and structural fabric were essentially in
very good and un-remodeled condition.
No other home in our village is as grand as this, though there are a
very few other fine Italianate private residences in the township. Some
area residents felt that if it was possible to save this beautiful
building for some public use, on a donation basis, then we should do
it. Now we have raised nearly 90% of the pledges, cash, and in-kind
donations required to relocate the house to its new site and put a full
basement under it, in preparation for restoration. We still need about
$12,000 in donations to finish the relocation as of this writing (March
18), and the restoration ahead of us will be a large and multi-year
project, but the Friends of Captain Scott committee now has confidence
that our community is capable of making it happen.
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