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Smith House, 124 East Walnut St Greencastle, Putnam County, IN
The Smith House is located within the Courthouse Square Historic District of Greencastle. The period of significance for the district is 1823-1939 and encompasses a variety of popular architectural styles. The district consists primarily of an intact grouping of commercial and governmental use buildings. As such, the district`s most prominent buildings include the Opera House (c. 1880), First National Bank (c. 1900), Putnam County Public Library (1902), Putnam County Courthouse (1903), U.S. Post Office (1910), and the Putnam County Jail (1939). There are, however, in the blocks surrounding the courthouse square, several structures originally built for residential purposes. The Smith House, constructed c. 1905 in the Free Classic style contributes to the significance of the district in terms of size, scale and period of construction. The original owners of the house were Harry M. and Anna Smith. A biography of Harry M. Smith is included in Jesse Weik`s "History of Putnam County, Indiana," published in 1910. Smith was a prominent local citizen, primarily due to his ownership of the Greencastle Banner, a local newspaper. Born in Thorntown, Indiana in 1862, Smith moved to Greencastle in 1885 following a newspaper apprenticeship at the Danville Union. In 1889, he bought the Greencastle Times. In 1890, this paper was consolidated with the Banner. In 1898, Smith took full control of the Banner, one of the state`s oldest newspapers and continued its role as an advocate of Republican politics. Smith was a leading proponent for the construction of a new courthouse and pressed for other public improvement projects.
Smith House, 124 East Walnut St Greencastle, Putnam County, IN
The Smith House is located within the Courthouse Square Historic District of Greencastle. The period of significance for the district is 1823-1939 and encompasses a variety of popular architectural styles. The district consists primarily of an intact grouping of commercial and governmental use buildings. As such, the district`s most prominent buildings include the Opera House (c. 1880), First National Bank (c. 1900), Putnam County Public Library (1902), Putnam County Courthouse (1903), U.S. Post Office (1910), and the Putnam County Jail (1939). There are, however, in the blocks surrounding the courthouse square, several structures originally built for residential purposes. The Smith House, constructed c. 1905 in the Free Classic style contributes to the significance of the district in terms of size, scale and period of construction. The original owners of the house were Harry M. and Anna Smith. A biography of Harry M. Smith is included in Jesse Weik`s "History of Putnam County, Indiana," published in 1910. Smith was a prominent local citizen, primarily due to his ownership of the Greencastle Banner, a local newspaper. Born in Thorntown, Indiana in 1862, Smith moved to Greencastle in 1885 following a newspaper apprenticeship at the Danville Union. In 1889, he bought the Greencastle Times. In 1890, this paper was consolidated with the Banner. In 1898, Smith took full control of the Banner, one of the state`s oldest newspapers and continued its role as an advocate of Republican politics. Smith was a leading proponent for the construction of a new courthouse and pressed for other public improvement projects.
Posted Date
Sep 27, 2021
Source Name
Library of Congress
