Schnee-Ribeyre-Elliott House
603 West Street
Built: 1867, restorations in 1895-1898, early 2000s
Original Use: Family residence
Architecture: Victorian brick house with an elaborate “Steamboat Gothic” porch with turned woodwork and blue and gold encaustic tiles
In 1867, saddle and harness-maker David Michaelis Schnee built an eight-room brick house on the site of two Harmonist houses at the corner of Tavern and West Street. One Harmonist house was torn down in 1867 and the other moved in 1889 to the corner of Arthur and Steammill Street. In 1879, Schnee sold the house to Captain Alfred Ribeyre, who was a large-scale farmer known locally as the "Corn King." Between 1895 and 1898, Ribeyre renovated the house and enlarged it to ten rooms.
In 1914, President William Howard Taft visited the house for tea during the New Harmony Centennial Celebration. In 1925, Elmer Ellsworth Elliott bought the house and lived there with his family. His daughter, Helen Elliott, became owner of the home after Elmer's death and resided in it until her death in 1982. She bequeathed the house and some of its furnishings to Historic New Harmony, Inc.
In 2006, the Schnee-Ribeyre-Elliott House became the administrative offices of Historic New Harmony. Today, it continues to serve that function and offers rental space for parties and small meetings.
Access: Open during business hours. This building is usually not featured on guided tours.
