Gaither, Dr. Nathan, House
100 S. High St., Columbia, KYThe Dr. Nathan Gaither House, located on Main (Greensburg) Street in close proximity to the county courthouse and public square, is one of the two finest Federal houses remaining in Columbia. (The other notable structure is the John Field House, entered on the National Register on February 8, 1978.) The house attains additional historical significance by having been the home of Dr. Nathan Gaither, a prominent local physician, and politician.
The Dr. Nathan Gaither House on town lot 14 two blocks north of the courthouse was completed ca. 1814. The diminutive brick structure is a noteworthy expression of the Federal style. The focal point of the facade is the rather Palladian effect created by the arrangement of the sidelights and fanlight surrounding the front door. Further evidence of the master craftmanship employed in the construction of this building is visible in the interior trim, especially the delicately tooled Federal mantles. This work is attributed to local carpenters James and Benjamin McDowell who are known to have been responsible for the construction of the 1812 John Field House.
Born in Rowan County, North Carolina, Nathan Gaither (1788-1862) came to Kentucky in 1808. He attended Bardstown College before beginning his medical studies, first with his cousin, Dr. Edward Gaither of Springfield, Kentucky, and then at the Philadelphia School of Medicine. During this time, Nathan Gaither volunteered to undergo the vaccination for smallpox which had only recently been developed by Dr. Edward Jenner and was still in the experimental stage. Dr. Gaither also served as a surgeon in the War of 1812.
By the end of the war, Dr. Gaither had settled permanently in Columbia and for the next twenty years was active in political affairs as well as his medical profession. From 1812 to 1817, he held the position of trustee of the town of Columbia. In addition, he was elected to the Kentucky legislature from 1815 to 1818. Dr. Gaither served two consecutive terms in the United States House of Representatives from 1829 to 1833, during which time he unsuccessfully opposed the building of a turnpike road through Kentucky and the chartering of the Bank of the United States.
At the conclusion of his second term in Congress, Dr. Gaither began devoting more time to his medical practice at Columbia. Burdened by security debts, Dr. Gaither was eventually forced to sell his house. However, he continued his medical profession until his death, entering politics only twice in later life to serve as a member of the state constitutional convention of 1850 and as a presidential elector in 1861.
Four other persons have owned the house since Dr. Gaither sold it. The present owner, who rents part of the building, has enclosed one of the galleries and added a porch and a carport onto the rear. However, these alterations have not detracted from the overall architectural integrity of the structure.
Listed in National Register of Historic Places in 1979.
The National Register of Historic Places is the official list of the Nation’s historic places worthy of preservation. Authorized by the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966, the National Park Service’s National Register of Historic Places is part of a national program to coordinate and support public and private efforts to identify, evaluate, and protect America’s historic and archeological resources.