Get A Look Inside The Homes That Whiskey Built

Homes built by local whiskey barons in the late 1800s and early 1900s will be open for tours on September 22.

Houses to be featured on the Ridge Avenue Ramble include (clockwise, from top left) the Probasco House, Cook House, Squibb House, and Diehl House. Photos by Jarrad Holbrook, Indiana Landmarks.

(Greendale, Ind.) - You’re invited into four historic Greendale houses to see the places local whiskey barons called home.

The preservation group Indiana Landmarks has put together the Ridge Avenue Ramble. It will happen Saturday, September 22 from 10:00 a.m. until 2:00 p.m. at four houses on Greendale’s Ridge Avenue. The organization says the street is “where prosperous distillery moguls built stately homes in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.”

“The street presents a visual feast,” says Jarrad Holbrook, director of Indiana Landmarks’ southeast office in Aurora. “On the tour, you’ll see two restored houses and two undergoing renovation.”

The homes on the tour include the William P. Squibb House at 139 Ridge Avenue, the Cook House at 337 Ridge Avenue, the Probasco House at 509 Ridge Avenue, and the Clifford Diehl House at 548 Ridge Avenue. See Indiana Landmarks’ history of each property below.

“Docents will talk about the distilling industry that helped create the Ridge Avenue mansions, and you’ll hear behind-the-scenes stories of the houses and the restorations,” Holbrook adds.

You must purchase a ticket to go on the tour, which starts with a check-in at the City of Greendale building. Advance tickets are $12 for Indiana Landmarks and Dearborn County Historical Society members. $15 for all other advance tickets. Tickets sold at the door will be $20. Purchase tickets online at https://www.indianalandmarks.org/event/ridge-avenue-ramble/ or call 800-450-4534.

Indiana Landmarks’ Ridge Avenue Ramble is in partnership with Dearborn County Historical Society and Greendale Redevelopment Commission and with support from Gambles Furniture & Appliances.

William P. Squibb House, 139 Ridge Avenue

Built for a high-profile whiskey distiller and renamed Acorn Hall by a later owner, this 1883 Second Empire and Italianate-style house suffered highly visible decline until it was rescued from a legal spiderweb and sold through an auction. Bill and Nancy Smith bought the house and immediately began fixes the roof and began repairing and replacing the damaged and vandalized interior, reclaiming the grounds from unchecked growth, and repainting the exterior. One of Greendale’s most recognizable landmarks is on its way back, and you don’t want to miss this exclusive chance to see inside!

Cook House, 337 Ridge Avenue

Built in the early 1860s, the Italianate house was owned by several families, including Colonel Bannister, the manager of a distillery, before being purchased in 1891 by William F. Cook. Five generations of the Cook family occupied the house for 91 years. New owners Jim and Sam Fulton rehabilitating the property and restoring historic features lost over the years. Their plans include incorporating state-of-the-art technology and amenities while retaining historic features, including five Rookwood fireplaces.

Probasco House, 509 Ridge Avenue

William Probasco, who also worked in the whiskey distilling business, built this striking Italianate home c.1868. The welcoming porch and grand glassed belvedere hint at the original owner’s stature in the community. Once split into apartments, the grand home was restored in the 1990s and is now owned by Jason and Melissa Watkins.

Clifford Diehl House, 548 Ridge Avenue

Built in 1929, this Mediterranean Revival house owned by Bill and Pat Krider is the youngest home on the tour. A rare style for the Dearborn County, the house’s hipped roofline and arches recall an Italian villa. Mr. Diehl’s wife moved to the Probasco House, also featured on the tour, after his death in 1963.