Paxton House (Glenn Maury)

Built by Elisha Paxton, a prosperous local farmer whose family settled in the area in the eighteenth century, this house blends traditional Valley forms with newer ideas from Greek Revival. Traditional features include the central-passage, single-pile plan, its bank-sited two-story arrangement with rear ell, and the molded brick cornice on the rear of the main block and the ell. All of these are elements found on high-style houses in the Valley in the early nineteenth century. Greek Revival features include the two-story, coupled, Doric-columned porch with pediment and the arched, tripartite windows. The interior woodwork is especially elaborate, indicating the wealth and ambition of its owner. In 2007 the Victorian-era, double-galleried side porch was restored and later additions removed from the ell. Located on the banks of the Maury (North) River and once the center of a large plantation, it now serves as a community center for the Buena Vista city park and a home for the Paxton House Historical Society.