The historic Henry Degen House has been in Washington, Missouri for well over a century

Henry Degen House, Washington, Missouri.Photo byJon Roanhaus, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

It's hard to believe the historic Henry Degen House was built in 1873! This one-and-a-half-story house is at 112 West Fourth Street in Washington, Missouri (Franklin County). On September 14, 2000, this house was listed on the National Register of Historic Places. There are many buildings in Washington on the National Register.

According to the Redfin real estate website, the house was last sold on May 18, 1992. The foundation is stone and the walls are brick and vinyl. It is privately owed.

This house has a double entrance and a full basement, and its structure is common to traditional Missouri-German architecture. The details of the porch display the Italianate architectural style.

The compact massing (size, shape, and volume of the house), brick construction, and arched windows were general aspects of Missouri-German architecture in the last half of the 1800s.

In 1873, this house was built by or for Henry Degen. It was in his family until the early part of the 1900s. A rear ell was added around 1907. The house has always been used as a residence since it was built.

The plan and general form of the house are characteristic of vernacular Missouri-German architecture. It's simple and compact. There are other homes in Washington with similar characteristics.

In the mid-1860s, Henry Degen's brother, John M. Degen, was in business with a prominent local contractor, H.H. Beinke until 1866. In 1869, Henry and John established a lumber business. Because John was a builder, it's believed he built Henry's house and maybe with his help. John was known to have constructed many buildings in Washington.

While the porch on the house is historic, it's possible it's not the original one. Unfortunately, Henry didn't have the pleasure of living in his home for a long time. He passed away at age 33 on August 31, 1877. The house remained in his family until the early 1900s. John passed away on August 11, 1895, at age 53-54.

In 1910, the house belonged to Rudolph Steinhaus until the late 1920s. After that, it belonged to Dr. J.D. Maupin who might have used it for his office too. With two front doors, one was for his family and the other for his patients.

There may have been two families living in this house at one time because of the double entrances. Regardless, it's been a residence for well over a century.

City of Washington, Missouri.Photo byCity of Washington, Missouri Government via Facebook.

The City of Washington was founded in 1839, but German anti-slavery settlers had arrived before then. Census data for this city named after George Washington is 14,769.

Visit here for tourist information. Washington on the riverfront is beautiful.

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