Image
Description
Joseph F. Reitz home, at 414 Riverside Dr. ; William.S. Gilbert home at 216 Washington Ave.; Jacob Meyer home at approximately 1506 N. Fulton Ave., originally 2106 Fulton Ave.; U.W. Armstrong home at 715 Upper Water St.; E.C. Johnson home at 712 SE 1st St., formerly 1012 Upper 1st St.; Fred P. Straub home at 820 N. First Ave., formerly 1226 First Ave. Joseph F. Reitz was a half brother to the Francis Joseph Reitz for which 2 local high schools are named. The Gilbert home was built around 1883, but was remodeled and the towner shown here removed in 1929. The house stands today, but so altered as to be difficult to recognize. Jacob Meyers' (the postcard has the last name incorrect) house was built around 1875 and razed circa 1920 for another business. Meyers owned Southern Planing Mill (see RH 033-302 for a view of the business). Uel Armstrong's house (aka Barnes Mansion, Harrison-Barnes Home, Original Museum): Elisha Harrison, who ran the Evansville Gazette, lived there in the very early days of the town's existence, but Robert Barnes bought the house in the early 1830s. Barnes was of ten board members of the Evansville National Bank when it was established on 11 November 1834, and, along with Francis Armory, was one of several land speculators who bought large tracts of land in 1834 and 1835. The mansion was later purchased by Uel W. Armstrong, president of Armstrong Brothers Furniture Company. After Armstrong vacated the mansion, it served for a time as the first Evansville Museum beginning in 1904. Since the house was of frame construction, it did not survive the ravages of time. Its condition deteriorated and the building was deemed unsafe. It was finally razed in 1910. (http://historicevansville.com/site.php?id=barnes) The current Evansville Museum sits near this location. E.C. Johnson's house was built circa 1865; he was not the first owner. It was destroyed by fire in 2008 and razed in 2009. The Straub house was built 1872-1873; today it looks much more utilitarian with no decorative ironwork and brick posts, and is believed to house a law office.