Pencil Sketches by Ruth Andrews   

304 Indiana Avenue - Residence of Virginia and Tom Weitnauer

This house at 304 Indiana Avenue was built ca. 1886 for Dr. Royal Jennings, a dentist who moved to Maryville from Indiana. Dr. Jennings was a Friend, also known as a Quaker. The house is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The style of the home is Folk Victorian. Shiplap siding graces the exterior of the house and a front projecting Italianate bay window with bracketed eaves. The house has two front porches with the original square chamfered posts and decorative milled brackets. Two of the home's fireplaces have ornate mantels and fireplace surrounds with nature scenes. Throughout the house are restored hardwood and wide-plank floors, flat panel pegged doors, rare antique locksets and wavy antique window glass.

The prior owner, Dr. Dorothy Horn, a professor of music at Maryville College, lived to be 94. In 2001, Maryville College received the house and its furnishings as a bequeathed generous gift from Dr. Horn. Under careful direction by Diane Montgomery, Director of Gift Planning, Maryville College restored the home and made it available for sale. The current owners are Tom and Virginia Weitnauer. Prior to Dr. Horn's 36-year ownership of the property, the home was owned by the following families in descending chronological order: Mrs. H. E. Orr, Dr. and Mrs. C. H. Gillingham, F. L. Proffitt and Clyde Murray, A. A. Post, Mrs. Mary Ealy, and Dr. Jennings. The Weitnauers have added a wrap-around porch, picket fence and brick driveway on the left side of the house. The original decorative wood gable brackets are in the process of being restored for reinstallation.