Stop 11: Greeley’s Concrete Barn (now the Rehoboth House)

Directions to Stop 11 from Greeley’s Dam: Continue along the trail until you enter the parking lot of Temple Beth El. Please proceed, quietly and respectfully, to the far end of the parking lot. There you will find a few stairs that climb the slight embankment. Follow these stairs through the short wooded trail to the left. You will now enter the cul-de-sac at the end of Aldridge Road. From the cul-de-sac continue by walking along Aldridge Road. Rehoboth House is the second house on the right.

The images above show the house as a barn in 1872 (top), and after its 1891 reconstruction (middle). Rehoboth underwent a final remodeling in 1954, in which the stepped gable ends were removed, restoring the original roofline (bottom).

Horace Greeley created this stone and cement structure as a barn in 1857. It was one of the first concrete structures of its kind in the United States, and was extremely resistant against fire and winter weather.

After their marriage in 1891, Frank and Gabrielle Clendenin converted the sturdy barn into a comfortable house, piercing the thick walls with further windows and doors. adding a two-story bay, ornamenting the gable ends with raised steps, and completely reconstructing the interior. It remains a residence to this day.

Click here for directions back to the Greeley House, a few reflection questions, and a thank you from us at the New Castle Historical Society.