The house was built in 1898 by a former mayor, J. T. Rather as a residence for his family. The cost at that time was around $14,000.  Christian B. Asmus may have designed or supervised the construction of this house.  The Rather's purchased the large stained glass window on a European vacation ten years before the house was built.  The story told about J. T. Rather has to do with his phobia of fire and his attempts to install a unique fire detection system, giant firecrackers. Supposedly, he had fire crackers placed in the walls when the house was built with the idea that a fire would set them off and serve as and alarm or perhaps powerful enough to even snuff out the flame.  That's how it became known as the "Firecracker House."