North 10th Street, A 19th Century Tour

Note: This is the web-based incarnation of a brochure originally published in 1980. While the history is still very valuable, other information may no longer be accurate. Information updated by WayNet will be listed in this orange color.

127 North 10th Street

This early Italianate changed into a Classical Palladian or Georgian-styled house was originally lived in by Andrew and W.G. Scott. It later became the home and office of Dr. Charles Marvel. Dr. Marvel, in the early 1900's, almost doubled the size of the house by adding the south portion, and changing the overall effect of the house to its present style. The front and side porches have been removed.

Dr. Marvel was a member of the Wayne County Medical Association and had his office at the north side of the house.

The house became the Richmond City Schools Administration offices until they were moved into their present building on Whitewater Blvd. (Hub Etchison Parkway).

115 North 10th Street

Mrs. John M. Gaar sold her 8th Street home to the Elks and had this English Tudor structure built in 109 for herself and her daughter, Mrs. William B. Leeds. Research indicated that another structure was razed so that this one might be erected.

The Tudor home of Mrs. Leeds was razed in September of 1974 to make room for an expanded parking lot for Palladium-Item employees.

Mrs. Jeannette G. Leeds, former president of the Palladium Publishing Co. and her son, Rudolph Leeds, editor and publisher of the Palladium-Item lived here until Mr. Leeds moved to his new residence on South 18th Street. That residence was also razed and the Masons' Temple is presently on the 18th Street site.

109 North 10th Street

The Federal style house built in the 1850's on the site that is presently a parking lot was the home of the Honorable Daniel Webster Comstock.

Mr. Comstock was born in 1840, and was graduated from Ohio Wesleyan University, Delaware, Ohio in 1860. His father was Dr. James Comstock and his grandfather was a soldier in the Revolution. In 1861 he was both living in New Castle and admitted to the Bar. He was elected district attorney for the Eleventh Common Pleas in 1862. In 1865, he enlisted in the 9th Indiana Cavalry and was promoted to 1st lieutenant of Company F and then discharged in 1865 whereupon he became a resident of Richmond.

In Richmond he was elected city attorney. In 1867 he married Josephine A. Hohre, they had two daughters, Elizabeth and Clara, who resided at this address until their deaths, and a son Paul.

Further, he was elected and served as prosecuting attorney in 1872 and 1874, state senator in 1878, and Judge of the Seventeenth Judicial Circuit in 1884 and 1890.

In 1896, he became Judge of the 4th District Appellate court and served there until 1911. Upon retiring, he practiced law with his son Paul and was a member of the Taconite Society.

The house was torn down by the Palladium Publishing Co. in October of 1967 to make a parking lot.

39 North 10th Street

This large, brick Italianate house built by E.G. Vaughan in 1872 was razed in 1964 for a carwash-filling station by the Good Oil Company.

In the 14 rooms that his irreplaceable home had, there were probably 8-10 fireplaces, ornate plaster work friezes and medallions, ornate woodwork in walnut, mahogany or oak, a ballroom on the third floor and many other no longer available features.

23 North 10th Street

Daniel B. Crawford lived at this address when it was known as 4 North 7th Street in 1870. Mr. Crawford was born in Maryland. When in Richmond, he was associated with D.B. Crawford & Son, Dry Goods. He became Director of The First National Bank, Richmond City Mill Works and the Wayne Co. Turnpike Co. He was an active member of the Sons of Temperance and, it is recorded, was so zealous he wouldn't let apples be turned into cider.

Around 1891 Thomas Nixon of Thomas Nixon & Co. acquired the property. At the present time there is no picture available of this house.

15 North 10th Street

The present Greek Revival facade of this 1860 structure was added about 1901, probably shortly after it became the Pohlemeyer Funeral Home.

The structure is situated on lot 167 and part of 168 in the Charles W. Starr Addition and believed to have cost $1,000 when built by W.W. Lynde some time between 1859 and 1864. In 1864 Mr. Curtis B. Huff, who was an original stockholder in the First National Bank of Richmond purchased the property. He then sold it to Dr. Verlin Kersey in 1878.

Dr. Kersey was born in 1809 in Guilford County, North Carolina. He was one of the founders of the Indiana State Medical Society which held its first convention in Indianapolis in the year of 1849. He was elected president of the Society in 1866.

Dr. Kersey also founded the Taconite Society, better known as the "Talk and Eat" which met mostly in the winter months.

When Dr. Kersey died in 1875, the property passed to Richard Kersey, then to Folger P. Wilson and Henry J. Pohlemeyer to be used as a funeral home.

Text and illustrations © 1980, Old Richmond, Inc.

Location

North 10th Street, Richmond, Indiana between Main and North E Streets.

Hours / Admission

Public Access / Free

Credit

This information was taken from a brochure copyrighted by Old Richmond, Inc. in 1980.

Permission to publish this information was given to WayNet.org by:
Preserve Richmond
P.O. Box 1709
Richmond, IN 47345

Acknowledgements

~Illustrations and Editor - Lucian A. Szlizewski
~Old Richmond Board of Directors
~Morrisson-Reeves Library
~Ball State University Library
~Earlham College Library
~Palladium-Item
~Original Brochure Printed by The Graphic Press

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