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Louisville Historical Museum January 2013 Lcityof Louisville COLORADO • SINCE 1878 717 Main Street History Legal Description: Lot 17 and the north half of Lot 18, Block 5, Louisville Year of Construction: circa 1878 (see discussion below) Builder: George Giles Previous addresses used to refer to this property: 222 Second St. (under Louisville's old address system that changed in 1939); 422 Main (this address number appears in the 1936 Louisville directory and is likely to have been a typo, with "222" intended). Main Street used to be called Second Street. Summary: This is likely the oldest remaining structure in Louisville, dating from approximately the year in which Louisville was founded. It was the home of four generations of the Niehoff/Austin family for over 100 years. Bert Niehoff, who became a major league baseball player, was born in the house. The City of Louisville purchased the property eight years after the death of the last member of the family. (A family tree showing the family members who lived in the house is attached to this report.) The members of the Niehoff/Austin family who lived in this house were strongly associated with such activities as: • Coal mining, including the first coal mine in Louisville • The development of the town from its founding • Pro -union stances during the mining strike of 1910-1914 • Farming in the Louisville area • Ownership of a general merchandise store in Louisville • Management of a Main Street pool hall • Involvement in Louisville community organizations such as the Odd Fellows, Rebeccas, and American Legion and American Legion Auxiliary • Education, through one member's school board membership and through another member's career as a teacher in the Louisville area • Holding positions of mayor, fire chief, city treasurer, and postmistress in Louisville • Major League baseball in the US, and the All -American Girls Professional Baseball League of the 1940s • Bank management in Louisville • World War I service • Multiple connections of family members to Los Angeles, California 1