Sweet House | chp-inc

The Sweet House: A Historic Preservation Success

Carthage Historic Preservation (CHP) completed its latest restoration project, the Sweet House, in Spring 2021. Believed to be the oldest standing house in Carthage, the Sweet House was built by Benjamin G. Sweet (1838–1909)—a Civil War veteran, carpenter, store owner, and entrepreneur.

Preservation Recognition: The McReynolds Award

The Sweet House project was honored with the McReynolds Award by the Missouri Alliance for Historic Preservation (Missouri Preservation). The award is named after Elizabeth McReynolds Rozier, a Carthage native and a founding member of Missouri Preservation. She was a well-known preservationist in Jefferson City, and her brother, Allen McReynolds, was among the founding members of Carthage Historic Preservation.

From the Missouri Preservation website:

“The McReynolds Awards, named in honor of Elizabeth McReynolds Rozier, are given annually to individuals or groups who have made significant achievements in the field or are in the midst of a long-term preservation project, creating synergy in the field of historic preservation. The McReynolds awards are among the most important awards given out each year by the organization.”

A Living Preservation Laboratory

The award recognizes CHP’s commitment not only to saving the Sweet House but also to educating the community about historic preservation:

“Board member, Judy Goff, led the charge in turning the Sweet House into a “preservation laboratory.” Two hands-on training workshops were hosted by CHP to restore the historic windows of the Sweet House while also educating preservationists on the proper practices of historic window restoration... Local high school tech center students were also invited to install the house’s drywall, teaching valuable vocational skills and encouraging future restoration of other properties in the community...Missouri Preservation applauds Carthage Historic Preservation not only for saving and restoring this historic resource, but for educating the community and passing on an appreciation of historic preservation to the next generation.”

Preserving Carthage’s Legacy

The restoration of the Sweet House is a testament to CHP’s mission to preserve Carthage’s architectural and cultural heritage. By combining restoration efforts with education and community involvement, CHP ensures that historic preservation remains a living, hands-on experience for future generations.

Acknowledging Our Supporters

The Sweet House project would not have been possible without the generosity of the following donors and grant organizations:

Donors Who Helped Purchase the Sweet House

Sally and Dan Armstrong

Mary Jean and Stephen Beimdiek

Judy and Pat Goff

Karen and Don Herzog

Judy and Leroy Hill

Carolyn and Pat Phelps

Grants

Helen S. Boylan Foundation

Carthage Community Foundation

Ruth I. Kolpin Charitable Foundation

Kent D. & Mary L. Steadley Memorial Trust

Additional Supporters

Carthage High School Tech Center & Teacher Nathan Olinger

Carpentry students (Classes of 2019/20)

Give Carthage Day Donors

CHP Volunteers

Lowe’s Home Improvement

Judy and Pat Goff

Sally and Dan Armstrong

Chanti and Brady Beckham

Blake Meyer

Ed Hardesty

Trisha and Gary Coates

The History of the Sweet House

The land on which the Sweet House stands was originally part of an 1854 U.S. land grant to William Chenault. In December 1867, William Phelps purchased the property from Nancy Chenault, acquiring all land from 13th Street south to the Phelps House property.

In 1868, Phelps sold a parcel of land on East 13th Street to Benjamin G. Sweet, who then built a home. Just two years later, in 1870, Sweet sold the property to Edmund Webb for $1,200, making a substantial profit over the $375 in loans he had originally secured to build the house.

Over the years, Sweet worked in construction, owned a grocery store, and operated a bookstore and newsstand. According to family history, he also owned general stores in Kansas and Arkansas and had mining interests in Oklahoma.

A few facts about Benjamin G. Sweet:

Benjamin G. Sweet circa 1863

Photo courtesy of the Sweet Family

In 1866, Benjamin G. Sweet married Inez Hall Sweet. The following year, in 1867, the couple moved to Carthage with their daughter, Minnie Elzora. Their son, Clayton Clark, was born in March 1868.

A Civil War veteran, Sweet served as a Union soldier with the 74th Volunteer Illinois Infantry throughout the war, despite suffering from chronic rheumatism.

After settling in Carthage, he worked alongside his in-laws, E.B. and E.H. Hall, who were carpenters and builders. According to a Carthage Press interview with Sweet’s son, Clayton, “his father erected many of the early-day residences in Carthage.”

Sweet was also a journal keeper, documenting his wartime experiences, his journey to Carthage, and his business struggles in 1872. Four of these journals were preserved and later gifted to the State Historical Society of Missouri by his granddaughter, Marcella E. Sweet Roper.

An excerpt from Benjamin Sweet’s journal, Tuesday, September 10, 1867:

"Pleasant. Started quite early in the morning. After we had got about ten miles, we met a woman – who had been to call her mother who was a hundred years old and had started to walk to her son’s at a distance of 15 miles – who asked us to let an old woman that was ahead of us ride a little way. When we got in sight of the old lady, she was so tired that she could scercly (sic) move. I lifted her into the wagon and carried her to her granddaughters, about 14 or 15 miles from where we found her. We took dinner there–Coon Creek–and arrived in Carthage at four o-clock P.M.”