The Roswell Spencer House is a historic property located in
Pleasant Valley, Iowa, United States. The house was listed on the
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...
in 1982.
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History
Roswell Spencer was a native of Vermont
Vermont () is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders Massachusetts to the south, New Hampshire to the east, New York (state), New York to the west, and the Provinces and territories of Ca ...
who headed west in 1830 when he was 29 years old.[ with ] He initially settled in Greene County, Illinois
Greene County is a county located in the U.S. state of Illinois. According to the 2020 United States census, it has a population of 11,843. Its county seat is Carrollton.
A notable archaeological area, the Koster Site, has produced evidence ...
before settling in Rock Island, Illinois
Rock Island is a city in Rock Island County, Illinois, United States, and its county seat. The population was 37,108 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. Located at the confluence of the Rock River (Mississippi River tributary), Rock a ...
. After he served in the Black Hawk War
The Black Hawk War was a conflict between the United States and Native Americans in the United States, Native Americans led by Black Hawk (Sauk leader), Black Hawk, a Sauk people, Sauk leader. The war erupted after Black Hawk and a group of ...
he relocated to the newly opened lands of eastern Iowa
Iowa ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the upper Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders the Mississippi River to the east and the Missouri River and Big Sioux River to the west; Wisconsin to the northeast, Ill ...
. He became the first white settler in what would become Pleasant Valley Township when he built a log cabin
A log cabin is a small log house, especially a minimally finished or less architecturally sophisticated structure. Log cabins have an ancient history in Europe, and in America are often associated with first-generation home building by settl ...
near the mouth of Spencer Creek in 1833.[ The following year he built another cabin above the mouth of Crow Creek. Spencer was a farmer and an industrialist. He operated ]saw mill
A sawmill (saw mill, saw-mill) or lumber mill is a facility where logging, logs are cut into lumber. Modern sawmills use a motorized saw to cut logs lengthwise to make long pieces, and crosswise to length depending on standard or custom sizes ...
s with his partner Stephen Henley on both Spencer and Crow creeks. He established another sawmill on Spencer Creek with John Work in 1837. The following year he and Henley brought down the Mississippi River
The Mississippi River is the main stem, primary river of the largest drainage basin in the United States. It is the second-longest river in the United States, behind only the Missouri River, Missouri. From its traditional source of Lake Ita ...
one of the first rafts of white pine logs from Wisconsin
Wisconsin ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest of the United States. It borders Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Michigan to the east, Michig ...
.[ Spencer entered politics and became Scott County's first treasurer.
Spencer built this house in the early 1850s and a steam-powered flouring mill across from the house in 1856. In the Financial Panic of 1857, he lost all of his property, except for his house. He served as the local ]postmaster
A postmaster is the head of an individual post office, responsible for all postal activities in a specific post office. When a postmaster is responsible for an entire mail distribution organization (usually sponsored by a national government), ...
and continued to live in Pleasant Valley until 1862 when he moved to Cedar County, Iowa
Cedar County is a County (United States), county located in the U.S. state of Iowa. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 18,505. Its county seat is Tipton, Iowa, Tipton. The county is named for the Cedar River (I ...
where he was once again engaged in farming. Spencer returned to Rock Island in 1866 where he worked in the grocery business. He died there in 1876.
Architecture
The Roswell Spencer House was a -story, Greek Revival
Greek Revival architecture is a architectural style, style that began in the middle of the 18th century but which particularly flourished in the late 18th and early 19th centuries, predominantly in northern Europe, the United States, and Canada, ...
structure that overlooked the Mississippi River. The exterior was covered in Wisconsin white pine.[ It was three by four bays wide with a rectangular-shaped main block. There was a single-story wing on its east side. The house had double hung windows with rectangular surrounds and pediment shaped window heads. The first floor featured one-over-one windows and the second floor featured six-over-six windows. Medium pitched ]gable
A gable is the generally triangular portion of a wall between the edges of intersecting roof pitches. The shape of the gable and how it is detailed depends on the structural system used, which reflects climate, material availability, and aesth ...
roofs capped both the main structure and the wing. The exterior also featured pilaster
In architecture, a pilaster is both a load-bearing section of thickened wall or column integrated into a wall, and a purely decorative element in classical architecture which gives the appearance of a supporting column and articulates an ext ...
ed corner boards, projecting boxed cornices
In architecture, a cornice (from the Italian ''cornice'' meaning "ledge") is generally any horizontal decorative moulding that crowns a building or furniture element—for example, the cornice over a door or window, around the top edge of a ...
and a plain frieze
In classical architecture, the frieze is the wide central section of an entablature and may be plain in the Ionic order, Ionic or Corinthian order, Corinthian orders, or decorated with bas-reliefs. Patera (architecture), Paterae are also ...
on the gable ends where double hung windows were located. The front porch had a hipped roof
A hip roof, hip-roof or hipped roof, is a type of roof where all sides slope downward to the walls, usually with a fairly gentle slope, with variants including tented roofs and others. Thus, a hipped roof has no gables or other vertical sides ...
that was supported by Doric columns
The Doric order is one of the three orders of ancient Greek and later Roman architecture; the other two canonical orders were the Ionic and the Corinthian. The Doric is most easily recognized by the simple circular capitals at the top of t ...
. There was also a small triangular pediment
Pediments are a form of gable in classical architecture, usually of a triangular shape. Pediments are placed above the horizontal structure of the cornice (an elaborated lintel), or entablature if supported by columns.Summerson, 130 In an ...
over the entranceway. There were five rooms on the first floor, four rooms on the second, and a large attic.
See also
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References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Spencer, Roswell, House
Houses completed in 1850
Houses in Scott County, Iowa
Greek Revival houses in Iowa
Houses on the National Register of Historic Places in Iowa
National Register of Historic Places in Scott County, Iowa