When my husband, Jeff and I were house hunting, he came across this beautiful historic home at 16 W. Main St., Knightstown. My husband has always wanted to live here. As a boy, he would sit in front during the Jubilee Days parade and stare at the four-story tower and wish he could be there. We went to see the house and fell in love instantly. It was our home from April 2017 until January 2022 when we made it our Airbnb.
According to the records we have, the central part of the house was originally the final residence of the founder of Knightstown, Waitsell M. Cary. According to tax records, the house was built between the 1830s and 1840s.
Upon Waitsell’s death, Elias Hinshaw purchased the house in the mid-1860s and added the second addition. In 1883 Hinshaw built the third addition, which is the front half of the house and the four-story tower. Hinshaw was a prominent blacksmith and farmer. He and his family were well liked in the community.
My husband and I are the 12th owners of this beautiful home listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The keystone above the front door has two hearts at the top with what look like smiling faces under each heart. We call it our “Happy Hearts House”.
When my husband’s mother died we decided to buy his childhood home but we didn’t want to part with our house in Knightstown so we decided to make it an Airbnb and let others enjoy of this elegant piece of history.
In June 2021, we began the process of moving our residence to our Airbnb. Our first guest was a family from Greenfield who had booked it for a family Christmas party. Our home has been used for wedding parties and large family gatherings. We like to play a part in creating memories for our guests.
Our Airbnb is 4,300 square feet, allowing us to accommodate larger gatherings. The house can accommodate eight people in total. We can accommodate six people in the three upstairs bedrooms. There is also a full bathroom upstairs, which includes the original clawfoot tub. The fourth bedroom is downstairs and can accommodate two people. We also decided to put a bedroom on the first floor due to the steep stairs so that all guests would have the opportunity to stay.
We also have another full bathroom on the first floor. The house has decent period antiques throughout, as well as modern comforts. Guests have told us that even though there are antiques, it’s still very warm and welcoming.
Some of our amenities include an entry ramp so guests don’t have to climb the steps outside, an elliptical machine in the lanai, a dedicated work area with a printer and supplies, high-speed internet, a washer and dryer, a kitchen with place settings for 20 people, as well as eight place settings for children, a Cuisinart coffee maker and a K-cup coffee maker, a Cuisinart toaster, a Cuisinart hand mixer, a Cuisinart mixer/food processor, extra tables and chairs for larger parties, a Smart TV, cable, Blu Ray player, games, movies, small children’s toys, high chair, pac-n-play, personal hygiene products, furniture porch, grill, fenced back yard, battery operated candles for ambiance, and hotel quality linens and pillows.
We provide breakfast items for our guests, as well as some snacks. We are known to source wine from our local vineyard and treats from local businesses for our guests to make them feel truly welcome.
Our property can be booked through Airbnb and VRBO.
Jeff and Johnna Vickers reside in Charlottesville, Indiana. Jeff is an engineer at Rolls-Royce. Johnna is a housewife who, along with Jeff, takes care of their Airbnb, EH Tower House. The couple have been in foster care for four years.
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