c. 1874. 600 Main St.
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(Photograph by Matthew Aungst) -
(William E. Fischer, Jr.)
This property is emblematic of one Jewish family's contribution to a small western Pennsylvania town. When Charles Kaufman settled in Clarion in 1853, it was a town in its adolescence. He built a thriving mercantile business and became very active in Clarion's civic affairs. In 1865, he purchased a fourroom house at the center of this building. By late 1874, he had built this five-bay, brick two-story store facing Main Street, with living space above for his wife and eight children. It is a straightforward storefront with little of the gingerbread trim popular in the 1870s. The gable-roofed rear portion extends for eight bays. The building is maintained by a granddaughter, who continues the family's sense of civic duty.