Kentucky was a divided state during the Civil War, and Riverview – the 19th-century house two miles from Bowling Green’s square – exemplified that struggle.

“It’s really sort of a symbol of how the war divided family, friends and neighbors,” said Laura Southard, director of Riverview.

Atwood Hobson, who built the house, supported the Union, while the family of his wife, Juliette VanMeter, were Confederates, Southard said.

Construction began on Riverview in 1857, but because of the war, it wasn’t completed until 1872, she said.

The house is one of the few buildings still standing in Bowling Green that predate the Civil War.

The Mariah Moore House at 801 State St. was built in 1818 and is the oldest standing structure in Bowling Green, said Jonathan Jeffrey, manuscripts coordinator for the Kentucky Museum and member of the Landmark Association of Bowling Green and Warren County, which aims to preserve the architectural heritage of the city and county.

The Mariah Moore House was built by George and Elizabeth Moore, whose daughter Mariah lived in the house until her death. Now, the popular restaurant Mariah’s is housed in the building.

The restaurant had a fire in 1995, but the original brick walls remain and the building was restored, Jeffrey said.

“It looks very similar to what was there,” he said.

No buildings remain in Bowling Green between when the Mariah Moore House was built and when The Presbyterian Church at 1003 State St. was built in 1833, Jeffrey said. It’s the oldest church building in the city limits.

“It is a beautiful example of a gothic church,” Jeffrey said.

Another important antebellum building in Bowling Green is the Quigley-Younglove building at 900 State St., which is the oldest building on the square, dating to the 1840s, said Miranda Clements, historic preservation planner for the City-County Planning Commission.

The Quigley-Younglove building started out as a drugstore, and a post office was also inside, so it was a place for young people to meet and drink a soda, Clements said.

“It was quite an important building in Bowling Green’s history,” she said. “It was kind of a gathering spot.”

The square is the original heart of Bowling Green, Clements said. When the city was founded in 1798, a log courthouse and log jail were right there on the square. After the Civil War, the county decided to move the courthouse and create a park in the square, designed by Bowling Green’s second mayor, John Underwood. A fountain was put in a few years later, and Fountain Square Park was born.

Though most of the early buildings on the square have been replaced, the form of the square is intact, Clements said.

“The four walls create just a beautiful space,” she said. Sitting in the park, “it’s almost as if you’re in an outdoor room,” she said.

Many of the historic homes along State, College and Chestnut streets started popping up in the 1870s, Jeffrey said. During the Civil War, it was impossible to get building materials, and even in the first few years after the war it remained difficult, he said.

The existence of several rock quarries in Bowling Green at the time meant there was a lot of good, white limestone available, Jeffrey said. Most places in the state had only gray limestone.

Though no buildings were made exclusively of limestone, it made for interesting lattice and trim work in buildings around town, Jeffrey said.

“It’s a nice little feature,” he said.

The hand-carved columns at the Warren County Courthouse are a good example of limestone from the rock quarries, Clements said. The courthouse was built in the late 1860s.

Italianate architecture was a popular style in Bowling Green as well as the rest of the state during the 19th century, Jeffrey said. The style is characterized by arched windows, wide eaves and cupolas.

Riverview is a great example of Italianate architecture in Bowling Green, Jeffrey said.

Riverview was in a great spot for the time it was built, Southard said. It was just two miles from Bowling Green and a half-mile from the Barren River, which was important to the city’s industry and commerce.

“There were beautiful views from every place in the house,” Southard said.

When the last member of the Hobson family died in 1950, the house was modernized and rented to tenants, who left it in terrible condition, she said.

The city bought the house and several hundred acres of the surrounding land in the 1960s, and the Hobson House Association was formed to restore the house, Southard said. It was opened for tours in 1972 and is the only house museum in Bowling Green.

Though the river can no longer be seen from the house, due to vegetation growth and a decrease in water levels, visitors can now walk down a Greenways path from the house to the river, Southard said.

“I think the house really speaks to the stature of Bowling Green, a way of life that in many ways is very enviable,” she said. “It really gives insight into how Bowling Green developed and how we came to be what we are today.”

The house is furnished to appear from the 1890s, while the basement includes a gift shop, offices and a room where events such as meetings and parties take place.

“It’s a place to come celebrate the past and enjoy the future,” Southard said. “The house is still a very active participant in the community.”