This average appearing aluminum sided home across from the Crothersville Post Office holds historical significance for Crothersville. The story and a half portion of the structure contains the first house—a log cabin— built in 1858 by Crothersville founder John Hamacher.
The Crothersville town council voted to pursue the purchase of property at 301 E. Main Street during a special meeting last Wednesday, Aug. 23.
The property, owned by Mary K. Kelly of rural Hanover, has been abandoned and is now run down and overgrown. The property has been the target of the town’s derelict building committee.
Ordinarily the council takes action on the committee’s recommendations after giving the property owner ample time to remedy the situation. The town’s usual response to property owner’s non-compliance is to get a court order to have the structure razed and the cost of the teardown added to the property’s tax bill.
But the Kelly property is unique to Crothersville history.
The story and a half portion of the home houses the original log cabin—the first home built in the community in 1858—by the town’s founder John Hamacher.
“We don’t want to see the structure torn down if it can be saved,” council president Jason Hillenburg has said.
Hillenburg said that he and contractors have toured the inside of the home and reported the log cabin and chinking are structurally sound.
“Our first thought was to mark and remove the logs to be re-built on town property,” said Hillenburg.” But after inspecting, the cabin is still solid. It would not be good to disturb it.”
At last week’s meeting, the town opened two property appraisals—both nearly identical. By law, to purchase property, the town is required to obtain two appraisals and cannot offer the owner any more than the average of the two appraisals, said clerk-treasurer Danieta Foster.
John Dickerson Appraisal Service & Real Estate of Scottsburg placed the property value at $31,500 while Michael Sexton Real Estate and Appraisal Service of Scottsburg set the value at $31,250.
The maximum the town could offer for the property is $31,375, noted councilwoman Terry Richie.
The town’s earlier obtained estimate to teardown the property was placed at $18,000.
The council reasoned that the average appraisal less the cost of razing would put the value between $10,000-$15,000. The council authorized the clerk-treasurer to offer $10,000 for the Kelly property with a maximum negotiated amount not to exceed $15,000.
A court hearing on the town’s suit against Kelly to order her to bring the property into compliance was scheduled for today in Jackson Superior Court 1.