Just northeast of the Putnam County Courthouse at 25 East Franklin Street is the historic Pfeiffenberger House. Though it is unclear exactly what kind of home was first built on this site first (likely a log cabin or Federal style residence), we do know it burned in the Greencastle fire of 1874 that destroyed all of the properties on East Franklin Street and nearly all of downtown Greencastle.
In the late 1870’s the current structure was built and finished by 1881 by Charles W. Pfeiffenberger, a young and successful blacksmith. It is an Italianate style home with Eastlake influence seen in exterior wooden ornate features, as well as the trim and woodwork in the interior. Pfeiffenberger lived at 25 E. Franklin Street and maintained his blacksmith shop next door at 19 E. Franklin Street, a structure now occupied by CastleMakers. From all accounts, Pfeiffenberger was a well-respected businessman and well-known in town. Seemingly, he was Greencastle’s primary blacksmith his entire life.
Through the years, the home changed owners many times and saw periods of neglect including frozen and broken water pipes until it was acquired by Charles Stanton, the partner of DePauw University School of Music faculty member Kerry Jennings and a restoration was begun. In 2016 Stanton sold the home to Eric and June Wolfe who rented the home until completing restoration and remodeling projects and converting it to the new home of Eric’s real estate office. 25 East Franklin Street is now home to Wolfe’s real estate brokerage, Prime Real Estate Group, which was established in February 2017 and has quickly become a leading real estate office in Putnam County. The former parlor is now a large conference room and bedrooms have been converted into a meeting room and offices. Much of the interior and furnishings have their own local historical significance; stories that Eric loves to share.
