"Cities, Towns & Countryside"

5th Annual Preservation Week 2003 Photo-Essay Competition

First Place : Victoria Herndon
4th Grade, Gallatin Co. Upper Elementary
Sanders, Kentucky

TITLE: Dr. Lucy Dupuy Montz House

On the corner of Fourth and West High streets in Warsaw stands a house built by Edward A. Turpin. This house was a home to Dr. Lucy Dupuy Montz and landscape artist Kate Riley. Dr. Montz was the first woman dentist in Kentucky. She had her dentist chair set up in the front room of the house. She used the window of this room so she could have adequate light. In 1929, Lucy's nephew deeded "The Lucy Dupuy Montz" house to Kate M. Riley and so it is also known as the "Aunt Kate Riley House." The two women lived in the house a two different times, but both were very awesome women to our county. Kate used the upstairs to do her paintings. Some can be found in many of the homes in Warsaw.

This house is an old federal style brick house and is also painted white. Since this house has been built, three downstairs rooms and one upstairs room has been added. It has two parts to it. The first part contains the upstairs and half of the downstairs. The second part contains the other half of the downstairs. The room that was added on to the upstairs is where Mrs. Riley did all of her paintings. The windows of the house are one over the other. It now serves as a two family home.

I feel that this house is in danger because the owner is not taking care of it. The house could be tore down or even could fall in. I don't think we should have an important house in the state fall in when we could be using it as a home for other families. This house should be preserved because of the two very distinguished moments that made history there. The two women were there at different times, but left a mark on that house in two different ways. It is part of our state's history because it belonged to the first woman dentist and then to a very talented artist whose paintings are still with us today. If this house is not preserved, then other people won't get to enjoy the beauty and history of it.

This essay and photograph(s) are the property of Preservation Kentucky, Inc. and Kentucky Heritage Council and that any use of the photo or essay must be approved by PK and KHC.