About This House
This 3,000-square-foot house was built in 1812 for prominent local merchant John Field and his wife, Martisha. A pioneer settler and local powerhouse, John was a city trustee and the county’s first postmaster. In the early 1820s, suffering a financial reversal, the Fields rented a second-floor room to Jane and John Marshall Clemens. The newlywed couple lived there for a year; later, in 1835, they became parents to Samuel Langhorne Clemens, who eventually gained renown as author Mark Twain.
The Field house earned its place in the Save This Old House column of This Old House Magazine as a Federal-style home with a notable literary link—a rare survivor from the early 19th century whose walls briefly sheltered the parents of one of America’s most beloved authors before his birth in 1835.
Why Save It?
The house retains significant Federal-style elements that make it one of, the most architecturally important houses in the area. Its main staircase, doors, paneled jambs, baseboards, chair rails, and yellow-poplar floors remain. The original front entry’s fanlight also survives, as do triple-thick walls, made from bricks fired near the site. Considered the finest of three surviving Federal-era homes in town, the house sits on over half an acre, a few blocks from the public square. The city has a small-town feel, and its two major lakes offer myriad water sports, making it a desirable vacation spot.
Federal-style homes like this one are increasingly rare in Kentucky’s small towns. A similar brick Federal in Flemingsburg, built in 1810 by General Gabriel Evans, served the town across two centuries as a private residence, a hospital during the great cholera epidemic of 1833, a seminary, a funeral parlor, and an antiques shop—a reminder of how versatile and enduring these triple-thick brick structures can be when given a second life.
What it Needs
While the structure remains solid, the removal of a later rear addition has left bricks in need of repair and repointing. Inside, the house needs a kitchen, and a new owner will likely want to install a second-floor bath. Some of the plaster ceilings and walls need repair, and all new systems are required. Located in the downtown historic district, the house offers a host of residential, commercial, and live/work opportunities. Its grandeur and rich history make it deserving of a vibrant future that honors its past.
House Stats
- Price: $99,900
- Location: Columbia, KY
- Contact: Tom Waggener, Caperton Realty; tmwaggener@gmail.com
