The historic Redding–Hill House is located in Keytesville, Missouri (Chariton County). It's also been referred to as the Hill Homestead or the House of Seven Hills. The original part of this house was constructed in 1832.
This house began as a one-story rectangular-shaped house. Over 44 years, from 1832 to around 1876, it kept getting added to with more sections. In 1969, it was listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
This is an old dwelling that has so much potential (Click here for some images from the realtor.com site.) At the time the house was nominated for inclusion on the National Register, the address was listed as 100 West North Street. According to real estate sites, the address is listed as 100 West Finnell Drive.
The house is composed of inherently different or distinct sections and these sections were all brought together with the large wooden porch. It's understandable how the original rectangular house could get lost inside of all of the additions which probably came on when the family started growing.
William R. Redding
William Redding was the home's original owner and builder. Redding was a native of Virginia. In 1832, he built the original one-story dwelling on a 60-acre farm tract. He died on November 4, 1869, at age 56 after being murdered for his money.
In 1851, Redding's daughter, Bettie A. Redding, married William Eustus Hill who became a successful bank and tobacco dealer. Bettie died at the young age of 36 on November 25, 1869. In 1872, Hill acquired the house. He married his second wife, Sallie Scott, and together they had five children. Mr. Hill founded the Bank of Keytesville in 1872. It was during this time that the house was called the House of Seven Hills.
In 1955, Mr. and Mrs. Ben H. Kinkhorst purchased the home. Mrs. Kinkhorst's great-grandmother was a first cousin to William R. Redding. When Mrs. Kinkhorst died in 1962, her daughters jointly owned the property.
One of her daughters, Mrs. John Karksbury, along with her husband, resided in the house at the time it was being nominated for the National Register. During the summer months, the house used to be open to the public beginning in 1957.
Keytesville, Missouri
Keytesville is the county seat of Chariton County and was officially established in 1833. According to the 2020 census, the population was 440. The town was named after James Keyte who also built the first home and business here. The town's first hotel was built by Isaac Redding in 1842. He was also a sibling to William R. Redding.
In 1868, Keytesville was incorporated by Missouri, and in 1883, it was incorporated as a Missouri 4th-class city. Click here to read more about historic Keytesville.
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