Gilbert House

Description:	The Gilbert Home which years ago stood in what is now Steeg Park. Drawn by Miss Juliet A. Peddle, local architect and artist. The Gilbert Home which years ago stood in what is now Steeg Park. Drawn by Miss Juliet A. Peddle, local architect and artist.The GILBERT HOUSE has had more adventures than most. It was located on the farm owned by Curtis Gilbert east of the early town of Terre Haute but now in the city limits. The residence was situated in the area that is now Steeg Park. The original farm was bought by Curtis Gilbert in 1815. Mr. Gilbert continued to live in town for some years and did not move to the farm until 1843. For some 10 years previous to this date a tenant occupied the one-story house on the property. Mr. Gilbert had undoubtedly built this house, and he moved into it when he first went there to live.In 1849, he enlarged the original one-story house by making a two-story frame addition on the front. The above sketch marked Before fire, 1868, is a conjectural restoration of this house. A sketched plan of the house made the day of the fire is still in existence showing the spacing of the six columns which tradition says were across the front. One of these columns was kept for many years after the house was altered and has been described as a fluted column two stories high.On Christmas Day, 1858, a severe fire burned the original one-story house, but the newer two-story portion of the house was saved.The following year the rear of the house was rebuilt in brick and the front remodeled as shown in larger sketch. At this time the columns across the front were removed and the front of the house raised to permit a high basement. The brick floor of the original porch, which was just a step above grade, also was removed at this time.The house continued thus until the division of the Gilbert estate in 1877, when it was given to Edward and Henry Gilbert, who literally divided it between them. The frame front was moved across the lane which later became Gilbert avenue and was enlarged to the rear with a wing to provide the necessary rooms lost in the division of the house. This house was occupied from the time it was moved until it was torn down in 1927 by the Henry Gilbert family. At the demolition of the house, the land was added to Steeg Park. The other half of the house-the brick part-was turned to face the street or lane, as it was then, and remodeled to make a complete house of it also. It was occupied by various members of the Gilbert family and the John S. Beach family, the last of whom were Miss Mary Beach and her sister and brother-in-law, Mr. and Mrs. Spencer F. Ball. In 1928 they had the house taken down, and this land also was added to the park. And thus two more interesting old houses became memories.
Origin:	01/01/2005
Contributor(s):	Peddle, Juliet, 1899-1979
Source:	http://indianamemory.contentdm.oclc.org/cdm/ref/collection/rose/id/806
Collection:	Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology Logan Library
Rights:	http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/UND/1.0/
Copyright:	Copyright Undetermined
Subjects:	Architectural drawings Architecture Houses Gilbert, Curtis, 1795-1877 Architecture Domestic Life

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