915 N. State St.

This house was built in 1873 for Preston C. Houston and his wife, Auzetta.  Preston was the son of Robert Houston, who together with Henry Moore, founded the Bank Robert Houston & Co. in 1870.  Preston took over his father's interest in the bank and was later joined by A.J. Dighton, at which time the name changed to Houston, Moore, and Dighton.  Upon Dighton's death in 1877, Moore purchased Houston's interests and changed the name of the bank to H.V. Moore Banking & Trust Company.  Houston was also an investor in the Pepsin Syrup Company..  The home was later occupied by Mr. and Mrs. A.C. Thompson.  Thompson, along with A.F. Moore, had purchased Harry Crea's interest in the Pepsin Syrup Company in the 1920's.  The home was later purchased by William Dighton, a man who was often described as looking a lot like the house; "tall, thin, and dignified"!
This house features the Victorian Gothic Revival style; cruciform plan with steep gable roofs, large eaves, brick walls, and four sets of paired ridged chimneys.  The flat roof porch has turned posts and pilasters with decorative caps, ornate carved brackets, and open framework frieze.  The entry doors are round arched.  Notice the long slender windows with both segmented and full arch windows as well as the Victorian bay and the small quatrefoil sash in the apex of the projecting center gable roof pavilion.  The window in the dining room at the southeast corner of the house is the only wide window and it was added around 1898.  The house has eleven-foot ceilings and is said to be the first local home to have electricity, running water, and central heat.  The two-car garage and conservatory were artfully added in the 1980's.

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