Rice-Upshaw House

The Rice-Upshaw House was initially constructed in 1828 and used possibly as a one-story store / loom house by the builder Reuben Rice. Reuben established a rural trading center soon after the Rice family arrived in the Eleven Point river Valley in 1812.  The structure features an original log partition wall, a rarity in vernacular architecture. A restored 1820s log granary survives from the well documented trading center days adding to the site’s significance. The house is restored to the 1840s era when Reuben’s son expanded the main structure to serve as a family dwelling house. It was donated to Black River Technical College by Rice descendants, Dorothy Jean Upshaw and her children, and the college oversaw the historic restoration project.