What's Historic About Brookville, Pennsylvania?

Carrier-Humphrey House (1987) "A Place for Friends."

By Lauren McKinney

This three story residential building was constructed during the spring of 1897 for Griswold Buell Carrier as a place to entertain his friends. It stills serves in that capacity today.

Carrier was a native of Clover Township, Jefferson County and served as the township's elected "overseer of the poor" and a school director in the 1800's. He came to Brookville in 1890 after a successful 34 year career as a farmer and lumberman. When Carrier arrived in Brookvill3e he built a wood frame store which still stands two doors west of his house, and operated a grocery. He contracted with a local master builder to plan his residence.

G.B. Carrier lived in this house until his death in 1900. His widow and children remained at the house until 1921 when the property was sold to James Malcom Humphrey (1873-1948).

Humphrey was the general manager of the firm from the time of its establishment until 1921 when he purchased and moved into this property. Humphrey lived in this Victorian house until his death in 1948. His widow remained there until 1951 when the property was sold to Olive Afton. It was used as a doctor's office during the 1950's. It stood vacant for a number of years and was in an advanced state of deterioration until it was purchased and renovated by Mark and Debbie McKinney in 1993.

Architecturally, the house is built in the Victorian mode, somewhat reminiscent of the French Second Empire style, what a modified Mansard roof and paired dormers breaking the roofline on the facade. The sidewalls of the Mansard roof are sheathed in square-butted, as well as imbricated (or fish-scale) slate. Its most distinctive features are the rounded bay windows, (including curved plate glass sash), at the left corner, and the handsome open veranda with Tuscan columns which wraps around the front and the left side. Even the chimneys reflected the skill of the nineteenth century builders, using stepped out corbeled brickwork for the uppermost courses.

The interior has been only slightly modified over the years and still retains much of its 1890s detailing, including molded woodwork, a staircase located in the center of the first floor, an etched glass transom over the main door and a leaded glass transom over the window in the front parlor.

The Carrier-Humphrey house, known now as the G.B. Carrier House, is used as "lodging for friends," a bed and breakfast that is managed by Mark and Debbie McKinney.

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