195 Henderson Ave.

House Instructions

No restrooms available. Food and drinks are allowed on the main floor and porches. Docents can lead guests upstairs upon request.

About the House

One of the two oldest homes on Henderson Avenue, this house at 195 Henderson, owned and restored by Ken Jarrett and Joan Jackson, may have been built as early as the 1850s on land owned by William Carr and later by Robert L. Bloomfield.

Athens’ first mayor, Henry Beusse, purchased this house from Bloomfield in 1889 and undertook a major renovation– enlarging the living areas and adding Victorian-style fireplaces and windows. When Albin Hajos photographed the beautiful homes of Athens in 1900, the Beusse house, with its white gingerbread trim and picket fence, was among them.

Unfortunately, a series of later owners, some of whom used the house as a boarding house, allowed it to deteriorate. It was slated for demolition in the 1970s but was saved through the hands-on restoration work of Sharon and Frederick Malchow.

Further restoration was completed between 1998-2000 by preservation contractor Smith Wilson for owner Katherine Dittmar, who chose the striking teal exterior color. Current owners Joan Jackson and Ken Jarrett added a first-floor bedroom suite in 2022 and redesigned landscaping.