Wylie House
Encyclopedia
Wylie House is an historic structure built in 1835 and located in Bloomington, Indiana
. It was home of Andrew Wylie
, first president of Indiana University, until his death in 1851. In 1859, following the death of Andrew's widow Margaret, Theophilus Adam Wylie
, professor at Indiana University and half-cousin to Andrew, purchased the house from their heirs and his family resided there until his widow's death in 1913. Today Wylie House is operated as an historic house museum by Indiana University Libraries to interpret the lives of these families.
, then president of Washington College (now Washington & Jefferson College
) in western Pennsylvania, who accepted. In 1829 Wylie arrived in Bloomington, Indiana with his wife, Margaret Ritchie, and their children. Wylie became the first president and third faculty member of the newly renamed Indiana College. (In 1838 the name changed again to Indiana University. It was also sometimes referred to as Indiana State University in the mid-nineteenth century.) For the first several years the family resided in rental properties. In 1835 Andrew Wylie built a house on a 20 acres (80,937.2 m²) tract of land near the college that he had purchased in 1829 and 1830. Andrew, Margaret and ten of their twelve children lived in the house, in various numbers from 1835 to 1859.
The house itself is a two story brick structure, with a Flemish bond facade. Atypical for buildings of the 1830s, the house is a blend of Georgian
and Federal
styles. This style may have seemed old fashioned compared to the contemporary Greek Revival style that was becoming fashionable at the time of construction. One explanation of this architectural choice relates to the area from which the Wylies arrived. Southwestern Pennsylvania was culturally influenced by northern Virginia, an area that continued to be dominated by Georgian architecture. Further, Wylie designed his house based on Manchester house, a home in Washington County, Pennsylvania
, which in turn recreates the builder's original house in Newport, Rhode Island
. The widow's walk
present in Wylie's house is evidence of this connection.
The house was the center of a 20 acres (80,937.2 m²) farmstead, and as such was surrounded by numerous outbuildings. According to a memory map made by a Wylie descendant in 1954, these included a smoke house, double-pen barn
, an elaborate log chicken house
, a carriage house
and a two story utility building. The outbuildings reflect the various activities undertaken in and around this house - butchering, smoking and salting meats, gathering wood for winter months, preserving foods, laundering clothes and so on. It is notable that hired servants were difficult to find and often unreliable in frontier
towns such as Bloomington in the 1830s and 1840's. As a result, most of this work was undertaken by the Wylie household themselves.
,his half-cousin, to teach mathematics
, natural philosophy
, and chemistry
at Indiana College. In 1838 Theophilus married Rebecca Dennis of Germantown, PA and brought his bride to Bloomington. They lived in a series of rental houses until 1859, when following the death of Andrew's widow, Theophilus purchased the house and 5 of the 20 acres (80,937.2 m²) from their heirs. Theophilus Wylie's household was often quite large, with six of his eight children growing up in the house (two died in early childhood prior to 1859), and several extended family members living with or taking extended visits to the home over the rest of the century.
During this period, the character of Bloomington had begun to change from a frontier settlement to a burgeoning college town
. In addition to family, the Wylies took in two boarders
at a time, either students or young professors from the college. Likewise servants
, absent from the house during the Andrew Wylie period, formed a part of the household during the Theophilus Adam Wylie period. Among them was Lizzie Breckinridge, an African American woman and daughter of a former slave
, who came to work and live with the family in 1856 at the age of thirteen. Breckinridge stayed in this position until at her death in 1910.
The house was the site of several scientific and technological advancements. Theophilus began to experiment with photography soon after the daguerreotype
process was invented in 1839, many of the photographs he took at the house survive today. He often used a telescope for celestial observations from the roof of the house. And in 1876 Theophilus installed the first telephone
in state of Indiana, built from plans sent to him from a professor at the University of Pennsylvania
, that ran between the house and a college laboratory. Theophilus was an active faculty member at Indiana University until 1886. In that year he became an emeritus professor in which capacity he served to until his death in 1895. Rebecca Wylie continued to live in the house until her death in 1913.
at Indiana University, bought the house from the Wylie heirs in 1915. While he and his wife Lillian lived there, they undertook the first significant changes to the building. In addition to modernizing the kitchen and bathrooms and adding a furnace, they enclosed the second story porch, removed the ground floor pantries and screened in the front porch on the first floor. They also added pediment awnings over the front door and a small slanting roof over the east door to the kitchen.
In 1947 Herman B Wells
, then president of Indiana University, helped the university acquire the house from Dr. Hershey's widow, who continued to live there until 1951. Between 1951 and 1959 the house was home to Indiana University Press
. Then in the period between 1960 and 1965, major restorations of the house were conducted aimed at bringing it back to its original configuration. In attempting to remove all features added to the house since its construction, the restoration removed at least one feature now believed to be original to the house, a small back porch.
Today, known as Wylie House Museum, the building is a historic house museum that presents the house as it would have looked prior to 1860. With an inventory from 1859 as a guide it is furnished with a combination of Wylie family heirlooms and period pieces.
Bloomington, Indiana
Bloomington is a city in and the county seat of Monroe County in the southern region of the U.S. state of Indiana. The population was 80,405 at the 2010 census....
. It was home of Andrew Wylie
Andrew Wylie (IU)
Andrew Wylie was an American academic and theologian, who was president of Jefferson College and Washington College before becoming the first president of Indiana University ....
, first president of Indiana University, until his death in 1851. In 1859, following the death of Andrew's widow Margaret, Theophilus Adam Wylie
Theophilus Adam Wylie
Theophilus Adam Wylie was a Presbyterian minister, college professor, and president pro tem of Indiana University.-Early life:Born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on October 8, 1810, Wylie was the son of Margaret Watson Wylie and Samuel Brown Wylie, Reformed Presbyterian minister and professor of...
, professor at Indiana University and half-cousin to Andrew, purchased the house from their heirs and his family resided there until his widow's death in 1913. Today Wylie House is operated as an historic house museum by Indiana University Libraries to interpret the lives of these families.
1835 - 1859: Andrew Wylie family period
In transitioning from the "State Seminary" to Indiana College in 1828 the state legislature sought to hire a college president. They offered the position to Andrew WylieAndrew Wylie (IU)
Andrew Wylie was an American academic and theologian, who was president of Jefferson College and Washington College before becoming the first president of Indiana University ....
, then president of Washington College (now Washington & Jefferson College
Washington & Jefferson College
Washington & Jefferson College, also known as W & J College or W&J, is a private liberal arts college in Washington, Pennsylvania, in the United States, which is south of Pittsburgh...
) in western Pennsylvania, who accepted. In 1829 Wylie arrived in Bloomington, Indiana with his wife, Margaret Ritchie, and their children. Wylie became the first president and third faculty member of the newly renamed Indiana College. (In 1838 the name changed again to Indiana University. It was also sometimes referred to as Indiana State University in the mid-nineteenth century.) For the first several years the family resided in rental properties. In 1835 Andrew Wylie built a house on a 20 acres (80,937.2 m²) tract of land near the college that he had purchased in 1829 and 1830. Andrew, Margaret and ten of their twelve children lived in the house, in various numbers from 1835 to 1859.
The house itself is a two story brick structure, with a Flemish bond facade. Atypical for buildings of the 1830s, the house is a blend of Georgian
Georgian architecture
Georgian architecture is the name given in most English-speaking countries to the set of architectural styles current between 1720 and 1840. It is eponymous for the first four British monarchs of the House of Hanover—George I of Great Britain, George II of Great Britain, George III of the United...
and Federal
Federal architecture
Federal-style architecture is the name for the classicizing architecture built in the United States between c. 1780 and 1830, and particularly from 1785 to 1815. This style shares its name with its era, the Federal Period. The name Federal style is also used in association with furniture design...
styles. This style may have seemed old fashioned compared to the contemporary Greek Revival style that was becoming fashionable at the time of construction. One explanation of this architectural choice relates to the area from which the Wylies arrived. Southwestern Pennsylvania was culturally influenced by northern Virginia, an area that continued to be dominated by Georgian architecture. Further, Wylie designed his house based on Manchester house, a home in Washington County, Pennsylvania
Washington County, Pennsylvania
-Government and politics:As of November 2008, there are 152,534 registered voters in Washington County .* Democratic: 89,027 * Republican: 49,025 * Other Parties: 14,482...
, which in turn recreates the builder's original house in Newport, Rhode Island
Newport, Rhode Island
Newport is a city on Aquidneck Island in Newport County, Rhode Island, United States, about south of Providence. Known as a New England summer resort and for the famous Newport Mansions, it is the home of Salve Regina University and Naval Station Newport which houses the United States Naval War...
. The widow's walk
Widow's walk
A widow's walk also known as a "widow's watch" is a railed rooftop platform often with a small enclosed cupola frequently found on 19th century North American houses. A popular romantic myth holds that the platform was used to observe vessels at sea...
present in Wylie's house is evidence of this connection.
The house was the center of a 20 acres (80,937.2 m²) farmstead, and as such was surrounded by numerous outbuildings. According to a memory map made by a Wylie descendant in 1954, these included a smoke house, double-pen barn
Barn
A barn is an agricultural building used for storage and as a covered workplace. It may sometimes be used to house livestock or to store farming vehicles and equipment...
, an elaborate log chicken house
Chicken coop
A chicken coop is a building where female chickens are kept. Inside there are often nest boxes for egg laying and perches on which the birds can sleep, although coops for meat birds seldom have either of these features....
, a carriage house
Carriage house
A carriage house, also called remise or coach house, is an outbuilding which was originally built to house horse-drawn carriages and the related tack.In Great Britain the farm building was called a Cart Shed...
and a two story utility building. The outbuildings reflect the various activities undertaken in and around this house - butchering, smoking and salting meats, gathering wood for winter months, preserving foods, laundering clothes and so on. It is notable that hired servants were difficult to find and often unreliable in frontier
Frontier
A frontier is a political and geographical term referring to areas near or beyond a boundary. 'Frontier' was absorbed into English from French in the 15th century, with the meaning "borderland"--the region of a country that fronts on another country .The use of "frontier" to mean "a region at the...
towns such as Bloomington in the 1830s and 1840's. As a result, most of this work was undertaken by the Wylie household themselves.
1859 - 1913: Theophilus Adam Wylie family period
In 1837 President Wylie invited Theophilus Adam WylieTheophilus Adam Wylie
Theophilus Adam Wylie was a Presbyterian minister, college professor, and president pro tem of Indiana University.-Early life:Born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on October 8, 1810, Wylie was the son of Margaret Watson Wylie and Samuel Brown Wylie, Reformed Presbyterian minister and professor of...
,his half-cousin, to teach mathematics
Mathematics
Mathematics is the study of quantity, space, structure, and change. Mathematicians seek out patterns and formulate new conjectures. Mathematicians resolve the truth or falsity of conjectures by mathematical proofs, which are arguments sufficient to convince other mathematicians of their validity...
, natural philosophy
Natural philosophy
Natural philosophy or the philosophy of nature , is a term applied to the study of nature and the physical universe that was dominant before the development of modern science...
, and chemistry
Chemistry
Chemistry is the science of matter, especially its chemical reactions, but also its composition, structure and properties. Chemistry is concerned with atoms and their interactions with other atoms, and particularly with the properties of chemical bonds....
at Indiana College. In 1838 Theophilus married Rebecca Dennis of Germantown, PA and brought his bride to Bloomington. They lived in a series of rental houses until 1859, when following the death of Andrew's widow, Theophilus purchased the house and 5 of the 20 acres (80,937.2 m²) from their heirs. Theophilus Wylie's household was often quite large, with six of his eight children growing up in the house (two died in early childhood prior to 1859), and several extended family members living with or taking extended visits to the home over the rest of the century.
During this period, the character of Bloomington had begun to change from a frontier settlement to a burgeoning college town
College town
A college town or university town is a community which is dominated by its university population...
. In addition to family, the Wylies took in two boarders
Boarding house
A boarding house, is a house in which lodgers rent one or more rooms for one or more nights, and sometimes for extended periods of weeks, months and years. The common parts of the house are maintained, and some services, such as laundry and cleaning, may be supplied. They normally provide "bed...
at a time, either students or young professors from the college. Likewise servants
Domestic worker
A domestic worker is a man, woman or child who works within the employer's household. Domestic workers perform a variety of household services for an individual or a family, from providing care for children and elderly dependents to cleaning and household maintenance, known as housekeeping...
, absent from the house during the Andrew Wylie period, formed a part of the household during the Theophilus Adam Wylie period. Among them was Lizzie Breckinridge, an African American woman and daughter of a former slave
Freedman
A freedman is a former slave who has been released from slavery, usually by legal means. Historically, slaves became freedmen either by manumission or emancipation ....
, who came to work and live with the family in 1856 at the age of thirteen. Breckinridge stayed in this position until at her death in 1910.
The house was the site of several scientific and technological advancements. Theophilus began to experiment with photography soon after the daguerreotype
Daguerreotype
The daguerreotype was the first commercially successful photographic process. The image is a direct positive made in the camera on a silvered copper plate....
process was invented in 1839, many of the photographs he took at the house survive today. He often used a telescope for celestial observations from the roof of the house. And in 1876 Theophilus installed the first telephone
Telephone
The telephone , colloquially referred to as a phone, is a telecommunications device that transmits and receives sounds, usually the human voice. Telephones are a point-to-point communication system whose most basic function is to allow two people separated by large distances to talk to each other...
in state of Indiana, built from plans sent to him from a professor at the University of Pennsylvania
University of Pennsylvania
The University of Pennsylvania is a private, Ivy League university located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. Penn is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States,Penn is the fourth-oldest using the founding dates claimed by each institution...
, that ran between the house and a college laboratory. Theophilus was an active faculty member at Indiana University until 1886. In that year he became an emeritus professor in which capacity he served to until his death in 1895. Rebecca Wylie continued to live in the house until her death in 1913.
Wylie House Museum
Dr. Amos Hershey, a professor of political sciencePolitical science
Political Science is a social science discipline concerned with the study of the state, government and politics. Aristotle defined it as the study of the state. It deals extensively with the theory and practice of politics, and the analysis of political systems and political behavior...
at Indiana University, bought the house from the Wylie heirs in 1915. While he and his wife Lillian lived there, they undertook the first significant changes to the building. In addition to modernizing the kitchen and bathrooms and adding a furnace, they enclosed the second story porch, removed the ground floor pantries and screened in the front porch on the first floor. They also added pediment awnings over the front door and a small slanting roof over the east door to the kitchen.
In 1947 Herman B Wells
Herman B Wells
Herman B Wells was the 11th president of Indiana University. He served the university in a variety of capacities, most notably as president and as chancellor. He was pivotal in the development of Indiana University into a world class institution of higher learning.- Early life :Herman B Wells was...
, then president of Indiana University, helped the university acquire the house from Dr. Hershey's widow, who continued to live there until 1951. Between 1951 and 1959 the house was home to Indiana University Press
Indiana University Press
Indiana University Press, also known as IU Press, is an academic publisher at Indiana University that specializes in the humanities and social sciences. It was founded in 1950. Its headquarters are located in Bloomington, Indiana....
. Then in the period between 1960 and 1965, major restorations of the house were conducted aimed at bringing it back to its original configuration. In attempting to remove all features added to the house since its construction, the restoration removed at least one feature now believed to be original to the house, a small back porch.
Today, known as Wylie House Museum, the building is a historic house museum that presents the house as it would have looked prior to 1860. With an inventory from 1859 as a guide it is furnished with a combination of Wylie family heirlooms and period pieces.