William Culbertson House

Born in New York in 1833, William Culbertson was raised in Warren, Ohio, where he learned the trade of a carriagemaker. Upon moving to Mechanicsburg in 1853, he worked as a journeyman for three years before beginning his own carriage manufacturing business in 1856 with Cyrus Barr. Their partnership was highly successful; by 1880, Culbertson and Barr had developed a reputation as one of the region's premier manufacturers of carriages, buggies, and spring wagons, as well as operating a livery from 1860 to 1874 and remaining a well-reputed repair center.[2]^:882–883 One year later, Culbertson had his residence built, fifteen years after Barr had arranged for the construction of his house.[1] Culbertson himself was active in local society; he was a member of the Mechanicsburg Methodist Protestant Church and the Odd Fellows, and was the Prohibitionist candidate in numerous local elections.[2]^:883 The firm remained in business into the twentieth century, weathering the transition to mechanization by becoming a dealer for Ford, Hudson, and Jeffery cars,[3] but the business burned in a catastrophic 1936 fire that was so large that it damaged the tower of the adjacent Second Baptist Church.[4] As a result, the Culbertson and Barr residences are the sole remaining buildings associated with the firm.[5]^:6

Built of brick on a stone foundation,[6] the William Culbertson House is a two-story building with a hip roof. Numerous elements combine to make it a typical example of the Italianate style, including its irregular floor plan with a large bay that projects eastward from the main body of the house, a cornice formed by ornamental brackets, a decorative front porch, and hood molds over the windows.[7]

In 1985, the Culbertson House was listed on the National Register of Historic Places, qualifying both because of its historical architecture and its place as the home of a prominent local citizen. Approximately twenty other Mechanicsburg buildings were listed on the National Register at the same time as part of a multiple property submission;[1] a historic district nomination had been considered, but the historic buildings were too few and far between to warrant designation as a group, so they were nominated individually.[5]^:8 Among the other buildings in the group was the Mechanicsburg United Methodist Church, located one block away on Race Street at its intersection with Main Street.[1]