venango county homes 24

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24. John Howard Smiley family

Located at 907 Elk Street, this home was built in 1906 for the John Howard Smiley family. Mr. Smiley was born December 24, 1866 in Franklin, the son of Edwin Wilson and Mary Jane Kilgore Smiley. Edwin W. was the publisher of the Venango Citizen Press, an early local newspaper and J. Howard assisted his father as an associate editor. When Edwin retired in 1895, J. Howard became the owner and editor. For many years J. Howard was identified with the brokerage business in Franklin and senior partner of the firm of J. Howard Smiley & Co. located on West Park Street.

The former Miss Mabel Louise Bowe of Columbus, OH became the bride of J. Howard Smiley in 1903. They raised four children in this home and at their summer home in Maine. Their children were: Louise Smiley, who became the wife of J.G. Butler, Charles Bowe Smiley, John Howard Smiley, Jr., and Edwin Wilson Smiley.

J. Howard died in 1929 while in Windsor, CT. He had been in ill health and wished to make the trip to the New England area to visit his boys. Shortly after arriving in Connecticut he suffered a series of strokes. His sister, Jessie Smiley was living at the Park Hotel when she received the telegram of his death. His body was brought to Franklin over the New York Central railroad and taken at once to the Franklin Cemetery for burial. Just 4 years later, John Howard Smiley, Jr. was killed in an airplane accident and was buried with his father. Mrs. Mabel Smiley died in 1961 at the home of her daughter in Squirrel Hill, Maine. Her funeral services were held in Windsor, CT where her son, Charles was living.

This wonderfully detailed, muscular Craftsman Style bungalow represents a reaction to the extravagant, machined and mass-produced Victorian styles that were a product of the Industrial Revolution. While the house shows primarily the characteristics of the Craftsman Style, it is heavily influenced by Japanese aesthetic as well as marked Gothic influence.

Interior features include two fireplaces, a wood paneled entrance hall and dining room with low, handmade built-in cabinets. Its fa�ade shows a 1 � story profile, shingled gables and leaded glass double-hung windows in the Craftsman Style. The front pitch of the roof extends over the porch and is supported by a massive wood Japanese style arbor on heavy brick columns.

Another exciting detail of this house are the pair of zinc grotesques, painted to resemble copper, perched on the steeply sloping Gothic gable peaks. Some would call these figures gargoyles, but those stone details of the Gothic Style are placed at the bottom of the roof and are fitted with a spout to carry water away from the sides of the structure. These figures, however, are not functional waterspouts. Many gargoyles are grotesque human figures; griffins have the body of a lion with the wings of an eagle, but these creatures most resemble dragons or serpents with wings. While gargoyles are said to scare off and protect from evil spirits, this along with their artistic function, may be their intent.

Curving hand-wrought iron window boxes, gutter hangers and railings, powerful examples of the metalworkers art, can be seen as references to the basic Craftsman goals of honesty in style, an emphasis on the use of natural materials and the visibility of handicraft. Altogether, this home resonates with its own wonderful eclecticism, while demonstrating the simple virtues of materials and workmanship.

Submitted by: Penny Minnick
minnick862@verizon.net

Submitted by: Sally Kilmer
skilmer4@gmail.com