A 153-year-old house in Fishers got a new home Saturday.
The Kincaid farmhouse moved from its current location at Kincaid Drive and 106th Street to a piece of land about a half mile away, at the corner of USA Drive and USA Parkway.
"The Kincaid house was built in 1861 and it was on the original property that we're actually moving it to," said Executive Director of Hamilton County Tourism Brenda Myers. "So, this whole piece of property was owned by the Flanagan family and it's called the Kincaid house because of the most recent residents in this house."
Just about everyone who played an important role in the town's history has lived at the home – including Civil War General Thomas Morris Armstrong.
The farmhouse was slated for demolition in June to make way for a new development, but local preservation groups got involved and didn't let that happen.
Hamilton County Tourism Communications Coordinator Kate Burkhardt said her office worked with the groups to launch a crowd-funding campaign, which helped save the home.
"I know that people in the community have their own stories about the house," Burkhardt said. "We heard from a Fishers firefighter that he actually weathered a blizzard inside that house a few years back. And, it's just been a part of Fishers ever since the town has kind of been built up around it. And, so, people want to see part of their history preserved as much as possible."
Hamilton County Tourism considered moving the home to downtown Fishers, but were worried it would be too heavy of a load for the bridge. So, they moved it to a piece of property just down the street that Navient donated.
Wolfe House and Building Movers Estimator Peter Brubaker said his crew moved the house using a series of steel beams and a jacking system. The home traveled at a pace of one to three miles per hour.
"It's moving on self-propelled hydraulic dollies," Brubaker said. "So, they're all connected to one power unit, they all work in sync with each other. Then, one operator with a joy stick remote controls the load."
Now that the home is at its new location, it will need a lot of work before it can be used. It has no floors or plumbing.
Myers says they haven't decided what to do with the Kincaid House, but she says it will serve some sort of arts function. People can submit ideas for what to do with the home here.
Future plans for the house will likely be decided on by mid-winter.
