Speakman House Repeats On Indiana Landmarks' 10 Most Endangered

Monday, May 1, 2017 at 7:27 AM

By Mike Perleberg The Speakman House in Ohio County is repeating on Indiana Landmarks' 10 Most Endangered list for the second straight year. Photo by Indiana Landmarks. (Ohio County, Ind.) - Little to no work has been performed on the Speakman House a year after it first appeared on Indiana Landmarks' list of historic buildings most in need of repair or attention. Indiana Landmarks released its 2017 list of 10 Most Endangered landmarks. The Speakman House in Ohio County has repeated on the list for the second consecutive year. "These places shape lives and give identity to communities, and when they're gone, they leave a void that can't be filled," says Marsh Davis, president of the nonprofit preservation organization. "While some might call these lost causes, we can point to countless 10 Most success stories—places on the brink of extinction that were saved, restored, and repurposed." Built in 1846, the Speakman House rests along State Road 56 above Laughery Creek, near the Triple Whipple Bridge, overlooking the Ohio River. It originally belonged to Stephen Speakman. Equipped with a tunnel, it may have been part of the Underground Railroad leading slaves to freedom. Today, the 17-room building is in disrepair with roof leaks damaging the interior, according to Indiana Landmarks. The organization is hopeful for a new owner to restore the structure. However, it is owned by two owners - one with a life estate - which Indiana Landmarks says makes a sale complicated. Since Indiana Landmarks placed it on the 10 Most Endangered in 2016, the owners have agreed to allow the organization to commission a building assessment, which could be the first step in establishing a fair sale price. The deteriorating porch of the Speakman House. Photo by Indiana Landmarks. A new entry on the 2017 endangered buildings list was no limited to just one particular building. Round and polygonal barns statewide are disappearing because many of those remaining are on private farms and their owners cannot afford repairs. Indiana Landmarks calls for a complete survey of round and polygonal barns most in jeopardy and a strategy to help owners make roof repairs and find uses for them. Places that land on the 10 Most Endangered often face a combination of problems rather than a single threat—abandonment, neglect, dilapidation, obsolete use, unreasonable above-market asking price, owners who simply lack money for repairs, remote location—or its opposite, encroaching sprawl that makes the land more valuable without the landmark. "Indiana Landmarks populates the 10 Most list with important structures that have reached a dire point. The list generates helpful attention—from communities, developers, potential buyers—and strategies for saving these places," says Davis. A 1915-built round barn along U.S. 421 in southern Ripley County. Photo via Dale J. Travis' Indiana Round Barns List. Six sites appear on the list for the first time:

Old Fire Station 18, Indianapolis

Old Marquette School, South Bend

Marion National Bank Building, Marion

Old YMCA, Terre Haute

Newkirk Mansion, Connersville

Round and polygonal barns, statewide

Three sites repeat on the list:

Washington County Courthouse, Salem

Speakman House, Rising Sun

Pryor's Country Place, Fox Lake

One entry returns to the list after a long absence:

Simpson Hall, Indiana School for Deaf, Indianapolis