503 N Main appears to date to the late 1850s or early 1860’s. There is local speculation that the house was built prior to 1859 by either Janes and Sallie Rouse or Paul and Sallie Semonin, successive owners of the property who also were partners in the 1856 construction of the steamboat “Governor Powell” which brought severe financial problems in 1859. Tobacconist Stephen Phillip Smith bought the house in 1868 and passed it to his daughter, Josephine Smith Katterjohn, who lived here until her death in 1957. The front two-story block is one room deep in a side passage plan with an original one-story rear brick ell that has been enlarged with a frame second story and small one-story frame and brick additions. Except for the main facade, all original windows are segmental arched. The house was demolished and this is currently an empty lot.
