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John Palmer Usher House
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by Liz Dyche
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A
house made of distinctive limestone stands at 1425 Tennessee. Built in 1872,
the mansion is an Italianate structure, so popular in eastern cites, but
unheard of in Kansas. It was considered unattractive at the time it was
built. It was faced with limestone imported from Vermont. The house was
constructed in an "L" shape. The unique windows curve at the top.
A beautiful porch wraps around one fourth of the residence. |
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This
house once belonged to John Palmer Usher. John Palmer Usher was the Secretary
of the Interior for President Abraham Lincoln. He then moved to Lawrence,
Kansas and became the mayor. When Usher lived in the house, as a single
family dwelling, the locals were intimidated by the grandeur of his home.
Usher lived in the house until he died in 1889. His widow lived in the house
until her death, when her sons sold it to an investment group from Watkins
Bank. In 1912, it was sold to the Beta Theta Pi Fraternity. The fraternity
believes in tradition and has left much of the house the way it was, with
a plaque on the "Lincoln Fireplace." |
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The
building was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1975.
The National Register worked closely with the State of Kansas Historical
Society during the design of the addition and historical renovation. The
rear wing of the building was added as a dormitory by the fraternity. The
addition was beautifully made out of limestone to match the rest of the
manor. About 10 years ago, Kenneth Spencer, an alumnus, gave them a barbecue
and a new front porch, which gave the entry a fresh new look. |
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The
interior was a dream with walnut paneling, trimmed with gold leaf, hand
done by the Pullman Company. A few years later it was replaced piece by
piece after a fire. There is a panelled library with a fireplace and many
reading materials. There was a music room in which there was another fireplace,
this one red marble, the gift of his former colleagues during Lincoln's
cabinet.
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Resources:
Nineteenth Century Houses
in Lawrence, Kansas. Miscellaneous Publications of the Museum of Art,
No. 72. The University of Kansas Museum of Art. October 27, 1968
Stough, Mary. "Same Stonemason
at Two Historic Residences Here?" Lawrence Daily Journal-World.
13 December, 1963
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