Sheathed in mellow brown cedar shakes, this charming "bungalow,” with Craftsman and Colonial Revival trim, dates from the First World War when it was built for Mr. and Mrs. T. Jefferson Rison on a portion of “Ficklen’s Field.” A narrow porte cochere on the left reflects perhaps Mr. Rison’s enthusiasm for the automobile. Along with Charles K. Carter, his partner at the Dan Valley Motor Company, Mr. Rison was recognized as one of Danville’s first car dealers. His grandfather, Col. William Rison, a clerk of Danville corporation court for more than a quarter century, lived in the old mansion on Holbrook Avenue which was razed about 1909 to construct a school, Rison Park, that later became the first George Washington High School. 

Mr. T. Jefferson Rison and his wife, the former Amelia Swift of Memphis, Tennessee, apparently lived at their new home at 234 West Main Street for only a couple of years at most. They then relocated to Mississippi where, from about 1919 to 1930, Mr. Rison ran a large agricultural operation growing cotton and other farm products. 

After the couple left Danville. their house was purchased by Mr. and Mrs. Edward Lee Walton. Director for the Tobacco Growers Co-operative Association, Mr. Walton, his wife, the former Mamie Irby, and their family lived on West Main throughout the l920s. In 1931 the house was sold to Catherine H. Bass who lived here with her husband, Mr. T. Jefferson Bass, a well-known life insurance agent, until lust prior to his death in 1949.

For the next decade, the property was home to Dr. and Mrs. Prentice Kinzer, Jr., their son and daughter. After 1959, and the death of Dr. Kinser, a widely-known orthopedic surgeon, his widow continued to live here until 1967, about the time of her remarriage. The house was purchased next by Sue Brown Harrison, widow of Wayles R. Harrison, longtime president of American National Bank, and memorialized in a charitable fund that bears his name. Mrs. Harrison lived in her West Main Street home until 1980, when it was sold to Mr. and Mrs. William Watts. Mrs. Watts conveyed the property to Patricia P Maurakis in 1991.

Three and a half years ago, Ms. Maurakis sold the house to its present owner, Anne M. Banks. Since then Mrs. Banks has refurbished the dwelling, transforming its spacious interior with her expert eye—not only for comfort, but also decorator style.