The Shelby–Nicholson–Schindler House in Perryville, Missouri was first owned by an early settler in the 1830s

Shelby-Nicholson-Schindler House, Perryville, Missouri.Photo byMarkkaempfer, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

The Shelby–Nicholson–Schindler House is located at 701 W. St. Joseph Street in Perryville, Missouri (Perry County). The house was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on July 24, 1974. It is privately owned. For many photos, including beautiful garden images, click here for the Facebook site of the home.

The front facade (north) displays five bays. The home has five bedrooms and two bathrooms. It is a brick L-shaped residence. There is a washhouse attached to the building near the southeast porch. . The foundation of the main part of the house is cut stone. Interestingly, there are four entrances to the home on each of its facades.

It's been recorded that Dr. Reuben Shelby was the first owner of this house. He was originally from Greene County, Pennsylvania arriving in Missouri in the 1830s. He was a doctor who was also active in state and local politics. In 1836, Shelby was appointed Judge of the County Court and served in that role for six years. In 1842, he was elected as County Surveyor. In 1845, he was appointed County Treasurer. In August 1848, he resigned from that role.

In the state legislature, Shelby represented Perry County from 1848 to 1854 and served as Speaker of the House of Representatives for two sessions. In 1874 and 1876, he was elected to the Senate. Dr. Shelby died on October 1, 1882, at age 78.

The house had four different owners between 1860 and 1870. John H. Nicholson and his wife purchased the home in 1870. Nicholson was also elected as a Circuit Court Judge in 1878.

It seems there were some prominent residents in this historic home. Allegedly, warranty deeds dating back to the late 1800s indicated that "no grocery, dramshop or other public drinking house or shop or any gaming house of any description whatsoever" was to be permitted on the property" (source).

It's believed the main portion of the house was built between 1860 and 1870 or close to when Nicholson and his wife moved in.

Conway J. Schindler (b. Apr. 18, 1897, d. Apr. 1967, age 70) and his wife, Marie E. Schindler (b. Dec. 3, 1902, d. Nov. 17, 1994, age 91) moved into the house in 1927 and it's unknown when they moved out.

According to the Facebook site, the current private owners acquired the historic dwelling in 2007 and they put a lot of work into restoring this home.

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