54 W Lincoln Ave "Francis M. Marriott House"

This historic Delaware, Ohio home was built in the 1870s for Francis M. Marriott, an attorney and future political leader who taught school while in college. Marriott passed the bar in 1874 and later that year, he was nominated by the Democratic Party as a candidate for prosecuting attorney in Delaware County. Marriott won that election, and in 1879, he was elected a State Senator in Ohio, serving Delaware and Licking counties. The original features of the house, which still stands today were a factor in getting the North West portion of Delaware recognized as a historic district.

The house was built in the 1870s by Francis M. Marriott, who worked as a teacher while studying law at both the offices of Charles H. McElroy and at the firm of Reird and Powell, which was considered a preeminent law firm of Delaware, Ohio and the region at the time.

He passed the bar in 1874, and later that year, he was nominated by the Democratic Party as a candidate for prosecuting attorney in Delaware County, to which he won election and served until 1879.

In 1879 he was elected a State Senator in Ohio, serving Delaware and Licking counties. As a state senator, he was part of a delegation that went to Washington in the hopes of convincing the Democratic National Committee to hold their Convention in Ohio. The delegation was successful, and in 1880 the convention would be held in Cincinnati, Ohio, and Mr. Marriott served as a delegate to the convention from the Ninth District. Mr. Marriott was also an active freemason and served as the master of Hiram Lodge No. 18.

The house has been recognized by both the Delaware Preservation Coalition and the Ohio Historical Society for its age, and the fact that the main house still maintains an appearance close to the original. It is a prominent brick home, displaying an elaborate Victorian Gothic style and boasts a three story tower, one of the most richly Victorian structures in Delaware, according to the Preservation Coalition. In May of 1981, it was owned by Vincent C. Smith, according to a Historic Inventory taken that year.

The Railway Reflector (Tour Guide). Edition 0. Volume 0. Delaware, OH. 1896.

"The Residence of the Honorable Francis Marion Marriott, 58 W. Lincoln Ave, Delaware, OH." Delaware Vignettes (Hist. Soc. Series) . .

, Nancy Ricchee. Ohio Historic Inventory. Ohio Historical Society, 1981.

Koch, R.. Delaware Preservation Coalition Architectural Survey, 1990-94. Ohio Historical Society, 1994.