Sutton-Ditz House is a historic home and museum located in

Clarion Clarion may refer to: Music * Clarion (instrument), a type of trumpet used in the Middle Ages * The Register (music), register of a clarinet that ranges from B4 to C6 * A Trumpet (organ stop), trumpet organ stop that usually plays an octave abov ...

Clarion County, Pennsylvania Clarion County is a county in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. As of the 2020 census, the population was 37,241. Its county seat is Clarion. The county was formed on March 11, 1839, from parts of Venango and Armstrong counties. Clarion Cou ...

. It was built in 1847, and remodeled in 1909–1910. It was added to 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 2004.

Architecture

The house is a -story, brick

Classical Revival Neoclassicism, also spelled Neo-classicism, emerged as a Western cultural movement in the decorative and visual arts, literature, theatre, music, and architecture that drew inspiration from the art and culture of classical antiquity. Neoclassic ...

style building on a

sandstone Sandstone is a Clastic rock#Sedimentary clastic rocks, clastic sedimentary rock composed mainly of grain size, sand-sized (0.0625 to 2 mm) silicate mineral, silicate grains, Cementation (geology), cemented together by another mineral. Sand ...

foundation. It was originally built in the

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, ...

style. The front facade features a full -story, pedimented

portico A portico is a porch leading to the entrance of a building, or extended as a colonnade, with a roof structure over a walkway, supported by columns or enclosed by walls. This idea was widely used in ancient Greece and has influenced many cu ...

supported by

Ionic order The Ionic order is one of the three canonic classical order, orders of classical architecture, the other two being the Doric order, Doric and the Corinthian order, Corinthian. There are two lesser orders: the Tuscan order, Tuscan (a plainer Doric) ...

columns which was added during the 1909 remodeling. The exterior surface of polychrome

Flemish bond Flemish bond is a pattern of brickwork that is a common feature in Georgian architecture. The pattern features bricks laid lengthwise (''stretchers'') alternating with bricks laid with their shorter ends exposed (''headers'') within the same cou ...

brick was also added at this time. Immediately north of the house is Memorial Park - formerly known as the Public Square, which has a Civil War monument and a modern gazebo. Immediately north of the park is the Clarion County Courthouse. Most buildings in the neighborhood were originally residences, but have been converted to commercial uses. ''Note:'' This includes

History

Thomas Sutton, Jr. (1815-1853) was a lawyer from

Indiana County, Pennsylvania Indiana County is a county in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. It is located in the west central part of Pennsylvania. As of the 2020 census, the population was 83,246. Its county seat is Indiana. Indiana County comprises the Indiana, PA Mi ...

, who move to Clarion about 1846 with his new wife Anne. He built a small brick law office on the property a block south of the courthouse and then the house on the same lot. The law office has since been destroyed. He died six years after the house was built, and his widow lived in the house until 1862, when she sold it for $2,000 to William J. Reynolds. Other owners included C.C. Brosius (1872–74), Nathan Meyers (1874-92), his widow Sue Meyers (1892-1907), and John Reed (1907-1908). John Ditz, a hardware merchant, bought the house in 1908 for $7,000 and remodeled it. Ditz's hardware business was successful but he lost money in the Florida land boom of the 1920s, and converted the house into "tourist rooms" in the 1930s while still living there. After his death in 1941, his wife Minnie owned the house and lived in it until her death in 1972 at age 92. The Clarion County Historical Society bought the house in 1975 and it now houses the Society's museum.

References

External links

Clarion County Historical Society websiteA Tour of the Sutton-Ditz House Museum
(9:08), hankhuf on YouTube {{National Register of Historic Places in Pennsylvania Houses on the National Register of Historic Places in Pennsylvania Greek Revival houses in Pennsylvania Neoclassical architecture in Pennsylvania Houses completed in 1847 Houses in Clarion County, Pennsylvania Museums in Clarion County, Pennsylvania Historic house museums in Pennsylvania 1847 establishments in Pennsylvania National Register of Historic Places in Clarion County, Pennsylvania