Around 1880, Patrick G. Rice hired a local builder by the name of Henry Conley to build a house off of the Middle Fork of Jenny’s Creek in Johnson County, Kentucky. Rice’s new home took a form that had become popular in Kentucky prior to the Civil War – a two-story, central passage house, one room deep, usually with a two-story, two room ell extending to the rear of the house. A central cross gable enlivened the simple facade, adding a touch of whimsey and a hint of the Gothic Revival style to the clapboard dwelling.
Circa 1983 image of the Addison Salyer House.
For some reason, when the house was listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 1989, it was christened with the name of Rice’s son-in-law, Addison (or Addie) Salyer, who married Cora Bell Rice. In 1908, Rice decided to move to Lewis County, Kentucky, and sold his 450-acre farm to his son-in-law and daughter.
In the 1940 census Salyer and his wife lived in this house, which was valued at $3,000 – a princely sum for the surrounding area. Sadly, Cora would die the following year, while Addison Salyer would presumably remain on the farm until his death in 1956. By the time the house was documented in 1983, it was no longer in the Salyer family.
The black and white photograph of the house is evocative and I wish I had access to more photographs. My aerial reconnaissance indicates that the rural site was heavily altered (bulldozed) between 1995 and 2004, and the Addison Salyer House is gone (though I would love to be proven wrong on this point!).
Last name = Rice. Any connection to your middle name????
Not that I know of – there are many Rice branches across Kentucky. My Rice people were in Bath, Fleming, and Mason Counties.