Feb 06, 1986
National Register of Historic Places - Lewis-Webb House
Statement of Significant: The Lewis-Webb Home is significant according to the criteria of evaluation under B and C. It is associated with the lives and careers of John and Susan Lewis and William Larkin Webb and Mabelle Brown Webb, persons significant to the history of Independence, Missouri. John and Susan Lewis were among the earliest settlers in Jackson County and were responsible for platting Lewis' addition to the City of Independence in 1853. William Larkin Webb and Mabel Brown Webb, who were occupants of the house in the early part of the twentieth century, were prominent as a local publisher and poet. The residence is a well-preserved example of a vernacular style of late Greek Revival architecture common to west-central Missouri ca. 1845-1855, often re-interpreted in the 1870's and 1880's by the addition of decorative woodwork and carpentry. The property is significant in the areas of architecture and community planning. History of the Property The various owners of the property typified the many middle-class businessmen and speculators that comprised Independence's population in the nineteenth century, particularly during the pre-Civil War era. The first owner of the property, Solomon Glover Flournoy, was born sometime before 1800 in Kentucky to Theodosia Hoy and Lawrence Flournoy. One of five brothers who moved to the Jackson County area in the early 1820's, Solomon Glover Flournoy was an early hotel and saloon keeper in Independence with a hostelry located at the corner of Maple and Main Streets. Little else is known of the family; they are traditionally listed arriving in Jackson County in the company of James Shepard of West Virginia. Jones Hoy Flournoy, brother to Solomon, sold the sixty-three-acre parcel known locally as the "Temple Lot" to representatives of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints in 1831. Solomon Glover Flournoy died in the fall of 1833. He had purchased about eighty acres in half of the Northwest quarter of Section 2, Township 49, Range 32, in June of the same year. It is thought that Solomon Flournoy or his son, Matthew, may have built the rear section of the present building either ca. 1833 or ca. 1849. Matthew Flournoy sold approximately 37 acres, including the nominated property, to one Nahum Roswell in July of 1849." Roswell was brought into court for non-payment of debts, losing his property to public auction March 16, 1852, at which time John Lewis and his wife Susan Houx Lewis purchased thirty acres in the north half of the northwest quarter of Section 2, Township 49, Range 32, for one hundred dollars. John and Susan Lewis platted Lewis' Addition to the City of Independence in March of 1853; it is thought that the rest of the building was constructed at this time by the Lewis family."
National Register of Historic Places - Lewis-Webb House
Statement of Significant: The Lewis-Webb Home is significant according to the criteria of evaluation under B and C. It is associated with the lives and careers of John and Susan Lewis and William Larkin Webb and Mabelle Brown Webb, persons significant to the history of Independence, Missouri. John and Susan Lewis were among the earliest settlers in Jackson County and were responsible for platting Lewis' addition to the City of Independence in 1853. William Larkin Webb and Mabel Brown Webb, who were occupants of the house in the early part of the twentieth century, were prominent as a local publisher and poet. The residence is a well-preserved example of a vernacular style of late Greek Revival architecture common to west-central Missouri ca. 1845-1855, often re-interpreted in the 1870's and 1880's by the addition of decorative woodwork and carpentry. The property is significant in the areas of architecture and community planning. History of the Property The various owners of the property typified the many middle-class businessmen and speculators that comprised Independence's population in the nineteenth century, particularly during the pre-Civil War era. The first owner of the property, Solomon Glover Flournoy, was born sometime before 1800 in Kentucky to Theodosia Hoy and Lawrence Flournoy. One of five brothers who moved to the Jackson County area in the early 1820's, Solomon Glover Flournoy was an early hotel and saloon keeper in Independence with a hostelry located at the corner of Maple and Main Streets. Little else is known of the family; they are traditionally listed arriving in Jackson County in the company of James Shepard of West Virginia. Jones Hoy Flournoy, brother to Solomon, sold the sixty-three-acre parcel known locally as the "Temple Lot" to representatives of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints in 1831. Solomon Glover Flournoy died in the fall of 1833. He had purchased about eighty acres in half of the Northwest quarter of Section 2, Township 49, Range 32, in June of the same year. It is thought that Solomon Flournoy or his son, Matthew, may have built the rear section of the present building either ca. 1833 or ca. 1849. Matthew Flournoy sold approximately 37 acres, including the nominated property, to one Nahum Roswell in July of 1849." Roswell was brought into court for non-payment of debts, losing his property to public auction March 16, 1852, at which time John Lewis and his wife Susan Houx Lewis purchased thirty acres in the north half of the northwest quarter of Section 2, Township 49, Range 32, for one hundred dollars. John and Susan Lewis platted Lewis' Addition to the City of Independence in March of 1853; it is thought that the rest of the building was constructed at this time by the Lewis family."
Feb 06, 1986
Posted Date
Aug 21, 2023
Historical Record Date
Feb 06, 1986
Source Name
National Register of Historic Places
