Ketcham Travis House

John Ketcham

John was the son of Daniel Ketcham and Keziah Pigmon Lewis and born in Washington County, Maryland. His father signed the Patriot's Oath of Allegiance in 1778. In May, 1784 the Ketchams left Maryland to Louisville, Kentucky eventually settling near Shelbyville, Kentucky where John spent his early years. In 1818, Col. Ketcham moved to Monroe County six or seven miles (11 km) from Bloomington near Victor and Harrodsburg. He built a grist mill on Clear Creek the first year and became known far and wide for his service. When the city of Bloomington was laid out in 1818, Ketcham was asked to design and contract for building of the first courthouse there.

In 1836, Ketcham was named one of General Andrew Jackson's electors for the Presidential election of that year. He served in the Indiana House of Representatives.

Ketcham was later appointed a trustee of the Indiana Seminary which would become Indiana University. Ketcham and a co-worker established a Methodist religious school on grounds at the south end of College Avenue in Bloomington.

Col. John Ketcham died in this house in 1865 and is buried in the Ketcham Family Cemetery in Monroe County. The family cemetery is still maintained by family members. His grandson, Daniel, was last male Ketcham to own the house. Daniel’s widow, Beulah, was last Ketcham to live in the house until her death in 1955.

21st century

The home has been in the Travis family since 1998. Current owners Loralie and Gregory Travis serve on architectural and historic preservation organizations, and are in the process of nominating the house for the National Register of Historic Places. Since 1998 the home has seen several major changes, perhaps the most noticeable being the removal of the cement-asbestos siding which was placed on the structure in the 1940s. With removal of that siding, the native Poplar siding of the original structure was revealed.

Structure

The structure of the house is typical of the design known as the "I-house" — its two stories are each divided into two rooms, one on each side. Such a plan is typical of the vernacular architecture of Monroe County in the middle of the nineteenth century: the area's early settlers generally favored the "I plan", finding it simple and sufficient for their needs without sacrificing elegance. Few such houses remain in a condition closely resembling their early years; despite the changes made to it, the Ketcham-Travis House remains one of the best surviving examples of this mid-19th century style.

Details

Inside, the house is constructed of mortise and tendon joints, with some nails. The main structural components are 12” x 12” solid walnut hand-hewn timbers that form the skeleton of each of the four main rooms. The two rooms upstairs, which have 10 feet ceilings, and two rooms downstairs, which have 11 feet ceilings, share a central staircase. The woodwork and carvings on the stairwell and staircase are all original. The original woodwork continues to the cabinetry in bedrooms which is made of butternut wood, a variety of walnut wood, most likely constructed from native walnut trees that were harvested on the property. The cabinetry is ornate, particularly for the period, and features Moorish flourishes.

Outside, much of the house appears to have been built from materials salvaged from earlier structures. This is indicated by the presence of unused mortises in many of the main structural members. Construction of the doors in the main part of the house shows them to be authentic and of the period. There are three deep cisterns on the property, one of which is under the house itself. The land is in the heart of the Indiana limestone district and is heavily karst-pocketed. Wells could not be drilled for water, although the Ketchams sank no less than five separate wells. Eventually water was collected from the roofs of the barn and main house and much of the piping, etc. for that collection system, including the cisterns, still remains.

Ketcham mill lay across Ketcham (now Fluck Mill) road from the house. This mill was powered by water from Clear Creek until about 1890 and the foundations of the dam across Clear Creek are still easily visible in the creek bed behind the house. After 1890 the mill was powered by a steam engine and water power was disconnected. The final version of the mill burned to the ground in ca. 1910 but its foundations still exist.

Ketcham Station was a railroad station built in 1900 by the Monon Railroad. It sat on the eastern edge of the property and was in use until about 1940. The foundations of the station still exist.

Recognition

The Ketcham-Travis house became part of the Ketcham Historic District in Monroe County, Indiana in 2008. The house was listed as an "Outstanding" architectural asset in the 1988 Monroe County Historic Register.