GOING NORTH on I-69 in Fishers, it’s hard to miss: a weathered 19th-century farmhouse smack in the middle of a bustling area of commercial newness. In 1860, farmers Peter and Nancy Flanagan made and sun-dried the clay bricks they used to build what would come to be known as the Flanagan-Kincaid House. The couple’s 11 children grew up in it. After Peter died at age 51, his family owned it until 1937, when it was bought by the Kincaids (founders of Kincaid’s Meat Market). At one point, they had to dispatch a formidable bee colony between the upper and lower floors. To eradicate the dozens of honeycombs, much of the structure was torn out and rebuilt. Today, rock-busted windows offer a peek inside the deteriorating structure. Gail Kincaid, whose husband is a relative of the former owners, shares that “the walls are 13-inches thick, most likely to moderate temperature.” The house didn’t have indoor plumbing until the 1950s. “There are only two rooms upstairs, both with a vent cut into the floor so that heat could rise from downstairs,” adds Kincaid. The house sits on a plot that tempts developers and awaits—as it has for some time—a preservation plan. Moving it in its current state is a logistical challenge. Restoration appropriate to its era requires materials and a skill set that are both in short supply and expensive. But its historical value is recognized, so demolition is deferred. Doing nothing is still a decision, though, as before long, the roof will start to fall in. Ashley Elrod, director of community and public relations for Fishers, confirms the city has no current plans for it. And so the Flanagan-Kincaid House stands sentry, a time traveler stranded as suburbanites whiz by on their way to Ikea.
