Farnsworth House

Farnsworth House

Farnsworth House Library of Congress

Farnsworth House

c. 1890. 76 Main St. (north side of Main St., east of the Upshur County Courthouse)

The WPA writer who noticed Buckhannon's “faded brick houses, ornamented with iron and wooden scrollwork” undoubtedly saw this delightful Queen Anne confection. A picture taken by an associated WPA-era photographer shows that it has changed little in the ensuing six decades. A spindled arch set within a pediment shelters the entry to the expansive front porch, which wraps around a polygonal bay to the right. Above, on the second floor, the bay mutates into an open polygonal porch topped by a steep witch's-cap roof. A tiny third-floor balcony supported by brackets on the opposite side of the facade balances the porch. The ensemble is wonderfully fussy and great fun as well.

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