"Historic Places at the Crossroads"

7th Annual Preservation Week 2005 Photo-Essay Competition

Second Place: Tyler Mullins, Gallatin Co. Middle School

Title: The Robert Brown House

On the southeast corner of Third and High is a vacant building. What used to be an elaborate parsonage is now run down by weather and neglect. The house had been under renovation, but the people who were repairing it quit. Now, the drywall is cracking, the roof is leaking, and the door is open, allowing vandalism. If actions are not taken soon, this house will be lost.

As with all old buildings, the Robert Brown House has an interesting history. The builder and first owner of the house, R.B. Brown, had the first water system in Warsaw around the year 1900. Across the street from the house stands an ancient water tank, which is covered entirely with wisteria vines. Nearby sits a tin barn. In this barn, Robert Brown had a Fairbanks-Morris engine that pumped water out of a small well near the house and into the water tank.

Later, the house was used as a parsonage for the Warsaw Christian Church. The pastor of the church at the time was Herbert Tinsley. He also served as a Kentucky state legislator. Since he was its second-longest owner, many people know the building as the Tinsley House.

This Carpenter Gothic-style house has a green roof. The wood siding of the house is white. The front side, facing High Street and the Ohio River, has three windows on each side of the doorway. Around all of the windows and doors on the Robert Brown House are flat arches with their red trim peeling off. Extending from the front of the house is a porch with four evenly-spaced Doric columns. Two dormers protrude from the roof of the house with a smaller one between them.

On the west side, a porch of the building is the chimney. The chimney is surrounded by four windows, two at the bottom, and two closer together, slightly smaller ones toward the top.

On the back side, a porch is connected to, but in a different direction than the rest of the house. Behind the porch, appears the rest of the house. (If you were to take a bird's eye view at this house, it would look like a backwards “L”.) This porch also has four Doric columns. To the left of the doorway of this part of the house are two windows with another horizontal window at the top between them. Three bay windows are above them. Another chimney is placed behind them.

Inside the house, many rooms make this building excellent for being adaptively reused as a bed and breakfast. On the first floor there is a kitchen with a pantry to the left of it. There are two large rooms in this house, one on the first floor, and another on the second. The one on the bottom floor could be used as a dining room. It could be filled with small round wooden tables covered with red and white checked table clothes, and kerosene lamps would create a country feel. Home-cooked meals would be made in the kitchen, and served to the people in the dining room. Water could even be poured out of a barrel with a ladle.

In the large room upstairs or on the porch, local or out-of –town bluegrass musicians could gather and pick and grin for a while. The school that I attend has formed a small bluegrass band. My thoughts were that we could play in there every now and then. It would be a beneficial and recreational way to spend the evening with friends and neighbors, as well as meet new people.

There is also a full basement under the house. This could be used to hold old-fashioned hoedowns. People from the community could each bring in a dish to eat and we could have a picnic, too. In fair weather, he hoedowns and picnic can be held in the yard.

The other rooms could be used to house guests. Feather beds, claw-foot bathtubs, stand-up sinks, and other antique items would help create a comfortable and relaxing atmosphere. Robert Brown's water system could be restored and turned into an exhibit, available for the public.

A few weeks ago, I walked inside to look at this house. Once I stepped in, I knew that it was once a unique and special place. As I journeyed on, I became even more excited. I began to see possibilities and ways for this extremely endangered building to be used once again. I believe that if you went inside, you would be able to look over the busted walls and worn hinges to see an exciting and lively place. It has deeply touched my heart.

Right now, this beautifully designed building is one of the most endangered buildings in Warsaw. With determination, a little imagination, and teamwork, it could once again be the main attraction of this small town. It deserves to be saved. After all, this house is a part of history.

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.