In 1837, the house was built by Butler Denham.  It served as a farm house, surrounded by almost 1300 acres of farmland.

Facts about the original house:

• Mostly built of black walnut from the local sawmill
• White oak was used for sills, studs, and floor joists; bark was left on the floor joists
• All timbers were connected by mortise and tenon, secured by heavy wooden pins
• Lath was hand-split from scrap wood from the sawmill
• Mortar was made from mud