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This historic home was built by Clarence Harding, Vice-President of the Harding Paper Mills, in 1901 for a cost of $9,000. FAHS has a letter in its files concerning the decision to build, the naming of the contractor, etc. Clarence Harding died in 1904, and his widow Lilly Woodward Harding continued to live here until her death in1948. Clarence and Lilly had two sons, Justin and Edwin Forrest. Justin W. Harding, who married Mae Gaynor and made their home at 312 S. River Street, was one of the jurists at the War Crimes Trials at Nuremberg, Germany following World War II. After graduating from West Point in 1909, Edwin Forrest Harding married Eleanor Hood of Excello in 1914. They had four children: Davis, Edwin F. Jr., Eleanor H. O’Hara, and Anne. The General and Mrs. Harding considered 302 Park Avenue their home during his years of service and returned to it upon his retirement in 1946.

Harding Museum, Franklin Area Historical Society

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The Harding Museum is the home of the Franklin Area Historical Society. General Harding and Mrs. Harding willed their house to FAHS for use as a local history museum. It opened to the public as the Harding Museum on Sunday, April 30, 1972. Each room downstairs is made of different wood: the Center Room is quarter–sawn oak, the Northeast Parlor is cherry, the library is mahogany, and the Dining Room is curly birch. Note the oriental rugs, the sliding pocket doors, and the stained-glass windows.

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Walking Tour of the Mackinaw Historic homes. Written by Geoffrey Gorsuch for the Franklin Area Historical Society.

Characteristic of this style, the house is asymmetrical, with five gables. Of the house’s original design features, the many tall pedimented windows and shutters, and wide wooden molding and cornice, remain. When built, there was also a campanile, or bell tower, where the cupola is today. This tower had a convex Mansard roof, characteristic of French Second Empire houses, and rose almost 50 feet to the top of the tower’s metal cresting. The tower and large corbels that decorated the wooden molding under the eaves were torn off in the mid-1940s by a later owner. The house also originally had four flat porches. The one on the east was an especially ornate arcade with double columns and heavy carved frieze, somewhat similar to the ones still at 209 and 309 Oxford Road. The original porches were all removed by the early 1920s. The house was also originally parged, that is, lightly plastered and painted a then very popular Venetian Red to protect the bricks from the elements. The house’s bricks were almost certainly made from clay excavated nearby and baked in a kiln set up on the property. All woodwork and stones were cut on site. Most of the shutters are original and no two are alike. The six large evergreens along the path in the front yard were planted by Anderson soon after he moved in. When the house was built, the only road was what is today’s Miami Avenue. The path from the east front of the house to the road is made of stones said to have been ship’s ballast. Photos of the house taken about 1900 show it surrounded by a white picket fence.In 1873 Anderson had established a grain and lumber business in Franklin and this lasted until 1965. Anderson served as Warren County commissioner, spearheading the construction of Franklin’s famous suspension bridge in 1873. Anderson also served one term in the Ohio senate. Anderson’s two youngest children, Howard and William, were born in this house. They later built their own houseslocated at 302 Lake and 225 Oxford Road. Two other Anderson children, Derrick and Mary, built the homes that still stand at 103 Miami Avenue and 108-110 Elm Street. Over the years when L. G. Anderson lived here, many family occasions, such as wedding receptions and parties, were celebrated in this house. The 1870 and 1880 census show the Andersons had a female live-in servant. In 1880, the house had a boarder who worked at a paper mill. When Anderson died in 1889, his funeral was held in his parlor. During the March 1913 Flood, the home’s residents, Anderson’s youngest son and his family, fled upstairs and ate off a chafing dish until the water subsided. The Andersons sold the house in 1921 to S. C Alexander, who owned the house until 1946. S. C. Alexander was a former traveling salesman from North Carolina who owned several retail businesses in downtown Franklin. During the last year’s of his ownership, the house was divided into apartments. The current front porch and tower dates from the 1970s.

This house was built by Lewis Gaston (L. G.) Anderson after he purchased his 156 acre farm from James Chamberlain in 1857. The house was built in the Italian Villa style sometime between that year and 1867, because that year’s plat of Warren County shows the house in place. Anderson farmed most of his acreage until 1887, when he sold it off for development.

Lewis Gaston - 49 Miami Ave

Until the 1890s Dick Anderson was a prominent local businessman, at one time serving as a director of the First National Bank of Franklin and president of the Eagle Paper Company. He was also, with Charles Harding (who lived at 209 Oxford Road) co-owner of a trotting horse named Nightingale [whose run of success is said to have caused a frenzy of risky betting by local fans, with predictable consequences when the horse was finally defeated in 1893.] Nightingale’s barn, located to the west of the house, was said to have been decorated with curtains. With the horse’s defeat and the failures of Dick Anderson’s businesses as a result of the national Panic of 1893, his fortunes collapsed. The 1900 census shows Anderson (with no occupation), his wife Anna, and their two sons, still living here. The house changed ownership many times until finally being sold to Alice Maloney in 1911. The 1920 census shows John and Alice Maloney, with three children, living here. John Maloney was president of the Franklin Coated Paper Company.

103 Miami Avenue (C). A local newspaper of 1879 described plans for the construction on this house, which was probably built by the following year, even though it does not appear on the Warren County property survey of 1880. It was built for Derrick B. (“Dick”) Anderson, the oldest child of L. G. Anderson, who lived at 49 Miami Avenue. The house is in the Italianate style. It’s Italianate design elements include the tall pedimented windows and carved corbels under the eaves. A leaded glass window is on the north façade. Originally there was a delicately molded porch and entrance on the south east side of the house. But by 1913 these had been replaced by a Greek Revival porch and entrance way decorated with beveled glass sidelights on the east side of the house where there had originally been a bay window.

Derrick B Anderson Home - 103 Miami

Hope D. Lockwood purchased the lot from the heirs of L. G. Anderson in 1889 for $700, and the house was built by 1890. The design style is Queen Anne with Eastern Stick influence. Its four gables have a mixed wall treatment of imbricated, horizontal, and undulating siding. There are multi-light dormers on the gable ends and a circular surround on the north dormer. The house has a pedimented porch, which was originally on the south end of the east face. Hope D. Lockwood made his living as a telegraph operator, in those days an important and respected occupation. He was the son of Ransom Lockwood, a prominent local lawyer and many times Franklin mayor. The 1900 census shows Lockwood, wife, and two sons living here. One of their sons was also a telegrapher. When the Lockwoods lived here, the address was 7 Miami Avenue. In 1910, the house was purchased by Ethyl Eldridge, who sold it in 1921 to Julia A. Munger.

Hope D Lockwood Home

This house was built in 1923 for Harry C. Eldridge. The Italianate home now located at 114-116 Elm Street was originally at this site since the 1880s, but was moved to make space for this home. Eldridge’s house was built in a Colonial Revival style, one of the several revival styles especially popular after World War I. The house has a gable roof and a four bay porch supported by Tuscan order columns. Harry C. Eldridge was the co-founder (with Seymour S. Tibbals, who built the house at 290 Oxford Road) of Franklin’s Eldridge Entertainment House, which published plays for schools and churches. In an earlier census, Harry Eldridge listed his occupation as music teacher. He was the brother of Edwin S. Eldridge who built the house at 305 Park Avenue. In 1945 the house was sold to Paul and Martha Logan of Franklin’s Logan-Long roofing company.

Harry C Eldridge - 123 Miami

Sarah J. Forgy bought this lot in 1874 and the house was built by 1875, because it appears in the county atlas of that year. The home is in an Italianate/French Second Empire style. Characteristic of the these styles are the asymmetrical floor plan, gabled pavilions, tall windows, the bell cast (concave) Mansard roof (with metal cresting) on the central façade, and the cornice supported by elaborate corbels. The bay window has an incised hood molding. Sarah J. Forgy was the wife of John M. Forgy, partner in Franklin’s Friend and Forgy Franklin Paper Company, a manufacturer of manila and sack flour paper. The 1880 census shows John and Sarah Forgy living here with their two children, and one live-in servant. In 1900. Sarah is there with her grown son and daughter, and in 1910 Sarah is here with her daughter. The Franklin Area Historical Society has a photo of Sarah at the 1907 birthday party for L. G. Anderson’s widow at 49 Miami Avenue. When the Forgys lived here in 1900, its address was 3 Miami Avenue. After Sarah’s death, the house was owned by the Reeves and Cheneys, before being purchased in 1936 by Mary Jane and E. H. Bindley. Mary Jane was the daughter of Howard Cheney, who lived on Park Avenue. Mr. Bindley was the manager of the Cheney Pulp and Paper Company. The current color scheme of earth tones with contrasting trim is very reminiscent of house colors fashionable when the home was new.

Sarah J Forgy home

Charles B. Smith purchased this large lot in 1882 for $1200, and soon after that built this Queen Anne style house. The home still retains it classic Victorian shape and textured surface of undulating, horizontal and imbricated siding. Gables are decorated by the sunburst motif. A beveled glass window is on the east façade of the house. Its original Eastlake style pedimented porch with large turned posts and spindles, and porch frieze are gone, as is a turret with conical roof on the southeast corner, that contained a recessed porch. The current porch with its thick Tuscan order columns give it a Greek Revival quality. Charles B. Smith was a salesman. The 1900 census show Smith, his wife Millie, and a live-in servant here. Smith sold the house in 1910 to Lewis Clifford (“Cliff”) and Robin Thirkield Anderson, who owned it until 1939 when it passed to their daughter, Mary Ballentine Craig, who owned it until the 1960s. Cliff Anderson was the grandson of L. G. Anderson, who during his very successful business career, managed the Franklin Electric Company, and Middletown Gas and Electric. Cliff was also a vice president of both the Paul Sorg Paper Company and American Trust and Savings Bank of Middletown. The 1910 and 1920 censuses show Cliff and Robin living in this house.

Charles B Smith home

Emma Douglas purchased the lot in 1875 for $800 and sold it three years later to J. A. Smith for $6500, so the house was built during those years. The house is an outstanding example of Italianate &amp; Second Empire design. Its notable features include the bell cast Mansard roof with cresting on its central façade, original two story octagonal shaped porch with balustrades, molding and corbels under the cornice, and pedimented windows and central door. Originally the house could be entered through the octagonal porch. Our earliest photo shows the house painted in a dark multicolored scheme. J. A. Smith, who was president of the Phillips Coal and Elevator Company, sold the home to Richard Wooley in 1881, who in turn sold it to his daughter Charlotte Denise in The 1900 census shows Charles and Charlotte Denise and their three children here. In 1910, Charlotte, her married daughter, and six other relatives were here. When the Denise’s lived here its address was 1 Oxford Row. The stained glass in the central bay and lions are recent additions.

Emma Douglas Home

Eliza Dickey purchased the lot in 1875 for $800 and sold it a year later to Thomas McWhinney for $5000, so she was the builder of the house. The house is an outstanding example of townhouse Italianate and has no apparent alternations from the original design. The home is dominated by the projecting pavilion, strong gable end and two story bay, capped by a balustrade. It has tall pedimented windows. Eliza Dickey, the widow of Peter Dickey, who founded an early Franklin grain and lumber company, continued to live in Franklin in a large Italianate house that used to stand on the corner of 6th Street and South Main. McWhinney was the editor of the local newspaper, businessman, and minister of the Christian Church. McWhinney sold the house to Charles Haring in 1886. Harding was a manager of the Harding Paper Mill in Franklin. The 1900 census shows Charles, his wife Mary, four children and one live-in servant here. Charles died in 1900. In 1910, Mary Harding and three children are here, one of them, Hazel, working as a stenographer in a paper mill. Harding’s children continued to live in the house, the last one, J. Fred Harding, dying in 1986. The current complimentary color scheme brings out the architectural details and is probably reminiscent of the fashion in which the house was built. The gargoyles and fence are recent additions.

209 Oxford Eliza Dickey Home

Ruth Schenck endowed Franklin’s first library and her sister Mary was the first librarian in the 1870s. The Franklin Area Historical Society has a photo of Ruth taken in 1907, the year of her death, at Jane Anderson’s birthday party, at 49 Miami Avenue. In the photo Ruth appears ill and wears a lace cloth over her nearly bald head. When Ruth lived here the address was 5 Oxford Row. After Ruth’s death, the house was sold to the exceptionally well educated and walrus moustached Dr. Silas Sterling Stahl. The 1910 census shows Stahl, his wife Anna, his three Elbright in-laws, and three other relatives living here.

Ruth T. Schenck purchased the lot in 1875 and built this house, in the Italianate style, in 1876. A local newspaper of the time described its modern features, such as indoor water and gas lighting, and even lists the name of the architect and builder, a Mr. E. Edwards. The house is dominated by the massively proportioned porch with spindle and spool-like balusters in twelve freestanding and cutout patterns, and this seems to be original. The house has tall pedimented windows, molded entabulature, frieze windows in the entabulature, and a south bay window. The 1880 census shows the widowed Mrs. Schenck living here with two maiden sisters, Mary and Lillie Tibbals, and a boarder who lists his occupation as minister. In 1900, Ruth was living here with one sister.

219 Oxford Road - Ruth T Schenck Home

William (“Will”) G. Anderson, the youngest child of L.G. Anderson, one time owner of much of the West Side, built his dream house here in 1913. FAHS has a photo of the house still under construction standing amid the waters of the that year’s great March flood. The house is built in an eclectic combination of Spanish Revival and bungalow styles. The first style is presented in the clay tile roof (said to weigh 18 tons) and masonry surface. The open porch, façade, and roof dormer are of the latter style. Other design elements include a Jerkin head roof on a gable end, imbricated siding in the dormers, and a second floor stained glass transom on the north side of the house. The balustraded porch is pedimented and has Doric order columns, giving it a classical flavor, and the transom and sidelights of the doorway, a Federal style touch.

225 Oxford Road - Will G Anderson Home

The census does indicate the widow Mariah Dubois and seven other relatives, including her children, were here in 1850. In 1855, if not before, the lot entered the Chamberlain family. A deed at the Franklin Area Historical Society shows James Chamberlain sold off 156 acres, of this land, to L. G. Anderson, retaining 15 acres for himself. In 1875, Chamberlain sold off the lots that became today’s 205, 209, 291, and 309 Oxford Road. The 1880 census shows that the, by then very old, James and Mary Ann Chamberlain still living here. In 1887, the land passed to Sarah Emley, the widowed daughter of James and Mary Ann Chamberlain. The remainder of the Chamberlain acreage was sold to the Mackinaw Development Corporation later that year by Sarah Emley’s son, Maximo, a grocer. By 1900, the house had passed through two more of the Chamberlain daughters until becoming the property of Nancy Lane, a fourth Chamberlain daughter. The 1900 census shows Nancy, her husband Arthur Lane, and their two daughters there. In 1910, Nancy and her daughter were still there. From 1937 to 1950, the house was owned by Edwin S. Eldridge and Harry C. Eldridge (who owned other houses in the neighborhood).

This house is the oldest in the neighborhood, but exactly who built it is a mystery. The traditional version is that James Chamberlain purchased 171 acres from Derrick Polemus (D. P.) Barkalow in 1847, and soon after built this house. However, property records indicate that in 1843, the northeast portion of the property passed from D. P. Barkalow to his daughter, Mariah Dubois, the wife of Peter Dubois, and they owned the property until 1855. Whoever built it, the house is a classic “I” (for being common throughout Indiana, Illinois, Iowa), and has a simple two story symmetrical façade set off by an elaborate wrought iron portico entrance.

227 Oxford Road (Miami Ave)

This house was built in 1923 for Lucille Earhart, filling one of the last three empty lots along the river. It is in the Dutch Colonial Style, and has a gambrell roof, large roof dormer, and symmetrical design. This is one of the later homes built along the west side of the river.

229 Miami Ave - Lucille Earhart home

Tibbals may also have been the man who saved the historic homes along this street. After the 1913 flood, one common engineering response to the potential for flood throughout the Miami Valley, was to widen the river channel, in the process, flattening whole neighborhoods. Franklin, where the river is narrowest, chose not to widen the channel here, and these historic houses remain. One long time resident and local historical raconteur speculates it was Tibbals’ political influence that saved them. Franklin did build levees around the village area that had been flooded, and these properties still pay proportioned taxes to the Miami Conservancy District.

This house was built in 1927 by Seymour S. Tibbals, on the last empty lot facing the river. The house was built in the Georgian Revival style and has a symmetrical three bay façade with a projecting pedimented front entrance with fanlight and sidelights of Federal period. Tibbals was the editor and owner of the Franklin Chronicle and partner in the Eldridge Entertainment House.

301 Miami Ave - Seymour S Tibbals Home

Lydia Croll was the wife of William H. Croll, the son and partner of Levi Croll, in a Franklin coal, grain, and lumber business. When the elder Croll died in 1885, William became embroiled in a dispute with the other Croll heirs and soon moved away to Indiana. Lydia owned the house until 1892, when it was sold to Harry McAdams, who sold it to W. S. Van Horne the following year. Van Horne was a real estate agent. The 1900 census lists Van Horne, his wife Flora, and their seven children and in-laws living here. When the Van Hornes were here, the address was 13 Oxford Road. In 1900, the property was sold to S. J. Gregg, a tobacco dealer, and the 1910 census shows Gregg and his wife Sarah, and some Van Hornes living here. The house’s current gray color is probably similar to the color the house was originally painted.

Lydia Croll bought the lot from James Chamberlain in 1875 for $1000 and built the house soon after, because the home appears on the Warren County Atlas of that year. The home is the Italianate style and has the characteristic tall pedimented windows and corbels under the cornice. The projecting central bay has a circular attic window in its gable. The house’s three bay front porch, with heavy paired columns, and north porch with detailed, ornate frieze, may both be original. The north and south gables have bull’s eye windows.

309 Miami Ave - Lydia Croll Home

After selling the property at 309 Oxford Road, W. S. Van Horne purchased this lot in 1900 and probably built this home soon after, in a style called the American Foursquare. It is typical of the more modest homes built on the side streets after the larger and more fashionable lots along the river and Park Avenue were filled. The Foursquare was popular for its simplicity and efficient use of space. Like many Foursquares, this one has a dormer in the center of the roof. This dormer is in the shed style. The house was owned by W. S and Flora Van Horne until 1914.

314 Elm Street - W.S. Van Horne Home

John O’Donnell bought this lot in 1892 for $350, and soon after built this house in the Queen Anne style. The house is dominated by three gables with sunburst motifs. The wall treatment has both horizontal siding and imbricated shingles. The pedimented porch with balusters is proportioned to the house and may be original. John O’Donnell was a superintendent in the Franklin Board and Paper Company and later owned a cement mixing company. The family owned the house until late last century. The 1910 census shows O’Donnell, his wife Harriet, and their six children living here. One of the O’Donnell sons was working in the railroad office. The dark earth tones of the current paint scheme may closely resemble the type of colors that would originally have appeared on this house.

305 Elm Street - John O'Donnell home

William C. Vail purchased this lot in 1893 for $450, and built this Queen Anne style house soon after. The front and north facades of the house have boxed gable ends and the north gable has an Eastlake type pendant. The gables have a shingle surface with a sunburst motif. The current porch has paired Tuscan order columns. A 1900 directory shows William and Lydia Vail living here. William is described as a clerk. William’s wife, Lydia, was the daughter of John Kell, Franklin’s pre-Civil War militia commander, who was killed at the battle of Stone’s River in 1862. Kenneth Chamberlain bought the house in 1910. From 1919 until 1970, the house was owned by the Adam Bridge family.

303 Elm Street - William C Vail Home

Elijah Keighley bought the lot in 1900 for $220, and sold it in 1902 for $2400, so this vernacular house was built between these dates. The front entrance and a small porch were originally on the east side of the house where a bay window is now. The original porch was gone by 1905, and replaced by a small porch on the northeast corner of the house that lasted at least until 1926. The current large proportioned porch, with Doric order columns, was added later. Elijah Keighley was a miller who was born in England. The 1900 census shows Keighley, his wife,and four children living here. After he sold the house in 1902, it had many owners before being purchased by Roy Eldridge in 1947. Roy Eldridge was the brother of Edwin S and Harry C. Eldridge, both of whom owned houses in the neighborhood. Roy’s wife, Helen, taught piano lessons here for many years. Roy Eldridge’s daughter, Joyce, married Congressman Clarence J. (Bud) Brown, Jr., in the backyard of this house on June 11, 1955. Mr. Brown spent 17 years in the U. S. House of Representatives, and later served in appointed political posts in Washington, DC.

221 Elm Street - Elijah Keighley Home

Robert Anderson purchased this lot in 1918, and built this house soon after. The bungalow style house, with recessed porch and gabled dormer, was said to have been designed by the owner himself. Bob Anderson was the son of William Anderson, who built and lived in 225 Oxford Road, and grandson of L. G. Anderson who built 49 Miami, where Bob was born in 1895. Bob Anderson was part owner of and worked at the Anderson Lumber Company, in Franklin. The house was sold in 1952 soon after Bob’s death.

300 Elm Street - Robert Anderson Home

The partnership of Dr. Stahl and his in-laws, the Elbrights, purchased the lot in 1907, for $800, and built this American Foursquare house some time after. Dr. Stahl’s wife, Anna, sold the house in 1923.

222 Elm Street - Dr. Stahl Home

This house is said to have been built by Nicholas Furlong, in about 1892. This simple “T” shaped frame house has a beveled central gable and a diamond shaped window . The porch and entrance were originally on the north side. The wrap around porch with paired Tuscan columns, present today, was added after 1926. Furlong was an agricultural agent. He, his wife Mary Ellen, and their two young children were here in the 1900 census. Dr. Lewis Edwards purchased the house in 1916. Edwards was a dentist and practiced in Franklin. The 1920 census shows Edwards, his wife, Freddie, and their young son living here.

219 Elm Street - Nicholas Furlong Home

David Carpenter first appeared in Franklin living in a boarding house and working as a dry goods salesman, probably at the village’s Thirkield’s Department Store. In 1861, he was part of Company F, 1st Ohio Infantry, that participated in the battle of First Bull Run. In 1870, he and his son were living at his employer, John L. Thirkield’s, house. Sometime thereafter he improved his prospects by marrying Jane Thirkield, his landlord and boss’s daughter. David died in 1895. The 1900 census shows Jane, her sister Mina, and Jane’s daughter, Nannie, living here. Nan’s occupation is listed as school teacher. In 1910, Jane, her sister, daughter Nan, and two grandchildren, were living here. Nan Carpenter lived here until her death in 1959. The home has been recently remodeled.

David Carpenter purchased the lot in 1890 for $650, and built this Queen Anne style house in about 1891. The house is especially well designed for this corner property. The north gable end contains an unusual bay and all gables have imbricated shingle wall surfaces with sunburst motif. Under the roof line is a cornice with a modillion. The Eastlake style porch is pedimented, and the delicate frieze running along its top is reminiscent of most of the original porches in the neighborhood. A projecting bay dominates and accentuates the northwest corner of the house.

230 Park Ave - David Carpenter Home

Adam Cole bought this lot for $600 in 1888, and he sold it in 1896 for $3000, so the vernacular house had been built by that time. The house was not there in The house has Queen Anne elements such as a steeply pitched roof and arched second story windows. The 1905 insurance plat shows a porch located only on the east side of the house’s projecting pavilion. That porch was probably highly decorated and of delicate proportions. By 1916, another porch extended around the corner, along the front of the house. Today the porch has slim Tuscan order columns and a plain cornice, giving the house a Greek Revival flavor.

226 Park Ave - Adam Cole Home

William B. Smith bought this lot for $350 in 1889. This vernacular house was built after 1890 and has shingle style elements. These include a variety of wall treatments, such as imbricated, horizontal, and undulated siding, and carved wood panels. The prominent front gable contains a sunburst motif, and covers a recessed porch. William Smith was a painter and paper hanger. The 1900 census lists Smith, his wife Agnes, and two children living here. By 1920, the house was owned by William Brown, a painting contractor, who lived there with his wife and two daughters.

222 Park Ave - William B Smith Home

This lot was created by dividing the large one containing 205 Oxford Road. It was conveyed to Alma Kraeger and Nancy Ruedig by the owner of 205, in 1947. This house was built at about that time in a modified Cape Cod style and appears in an insurance plat of that year. The front façade has projecting gabled pavilion and the steep gable is pierced by dormers.

218 Park

This plot was created in 1892, by dividing the large plot that contains 137 Miami Avenue. It was sold to Lida Greathouse for $325 and remained in that family until 1961. The house shows a shingle design influence and has a variety of wall surfaces. The front façade has a stained glass window with 30 small panes. Scrolled brackets support the west bay window and imbricated and sunburst patterns decorate the gable ends. The current porch has two pediments, but the original porch was smaller. Lida Greathouse was the wife of Harry Greathouse, a salesman. Harry and Lida’s son, Paul, became a well known and successful Osteopathic Physician in Franklin and Dayton. The censuses of 1900 and 1910 show Harry, Lida, and their son Paul living here. Because it is so well preserved, the house would look like it did 100 years ago if only the porch were replaced and it was painted in Victorian period tones.

217 Park Ave - Lida Greathouse Home

This lot was created by subdividing a large lot in 1892, when it was purchased by Martha Brewer for $325. This vernacular house was built some time later and shows shingle design influence in its wall treatment. The original porch covered only a small part of the building’s front. The current porch is pedimented. The 1900 census shows Mrs. Brewer and her son living here. At that time the address was 6 Park Avenue.

219 Park Ave - Martha Brewer Home

This lot was created by subdividing a large lot in 1891, when it was purchased by Richard Bunnell. This vernacular house has a gabled “L” shape, so called after its shape and front facing gable. A house of this shape could be conveniently squeezed into a narrow town lot. The style shows Stick influence and has imbricated shingles in the gable. The 1900 census shows Bunnell, a paper maker, living here with his wife and son. At that time the address was 8 Park Avenue.

223 Park Ave - Ruchard Bunnel Home

This lot was created by subdividing a large lot in 1891, when it was purchased by Julia McComas for $325. This vernacular house is also a gabled “L” and shows Queen Anne influence in its steep gable. The gable contains a decorative brace and a surface of undulating siding . The 1907 directory shows Julia was an employee of Franklin’s American Writing Paper Company. In 1900, this address would seem to have been 10 Park Avenue. The Franklin directory of that year shows renters living here. One of them, Bertha Richard, is listed as a domestic servant.

229 Park Ave - Julia McComas Home

This lot was created by subdividing a large lot in 1888, which Elijah Keighley bought for $400. This vernacular house is also a gabled “L” and shows shingle design influence, having horizontal, vertical, and imbricated siding. Keighley was a miller, who apparently built another house in the neighborhood. A 1900 directory, however, shows him living here. At that time the address was 12 Park Avenue.

231 Park Ave - Elijah Keighley Home

Eldridge, an evidently very successful salesman of woolens, sold the house in 1897, but by 1905 it was back in the family. The 1910 census showed Edward S. Eldridge, his wife Mary, and their two daughters living here. The 1907 directory also showed them here. At that time the address was 14 Park Avenue. In 1918, it was sold to Fred Zartman, the general manager of the Maxwell Paper Company and President of the Franklin National Bank. The 1920 census shows Zartman living here by himself and he owned the home until 1955.

Edwin S. Eldridge purchased this plot for $300 in 1888, and built the first house on newly laid out Park Avenue here. It was completed by 1890, and it appears on the property tax survey of that year. The house is in a Queen Anne style. The wall treatment of the house is a mixture of horizontal, string course, and wooden panels. The front gable has fish scale siding and a wooden wheel pattern around the multi-light window. Under the gable is an enclosed sleeping porch. The projecting east pavilion has a recessed third floor porch with a lattice frieze. The roof has imbricated design and fish scale slate. The house originally had a small porch on its east side and a large one on the southeast corner. By the 1920s a much wider rounded wrap around porch covered its entire front. The current porch contains fluted Doric order columns.

305 Park Ave - Edwin S Eldridge Home

Howard Cheney purchased this lot in 1922, and in 1923 built this Georgian Revival style home, filling in one of the last spaces on Park Avenue. The house has a slate gable roof, and a symmetrical five bay front façade with first floor windows topped with by an arcaded brick pattern. The single story wing, on its west side, is balanced by porch on its east side. It has an outstanding frontispiece composed of pediment, pilasters, and sidelights. Howard Cheney founded the Cheney Pulp and Paper Company in 1924, and his widow resided here until 1987.

307 Park Ave - Howard Cheney Home

Henry Meeker bought this lot in 1890 for $650, and in about 1891 built this Queen Anne style house. The projecting central pavilion has a decorative boxed gable end, beveled corners, and arched multiple widow panes. Along the roof line is a molded cornice and dentils. The wall treatment of the entire house is exuberant, with shingles, undulating, and straight siding. Originally, there were probably entrances on both sides of this pavilion. Henry W. Meeker founded Meeker Insurance Company in 1883, and also sold real estate. The censuses of 1900 and 1910 show Henry, his wife Flora, their son, and Henry’s sister in law living here. His family lived here until Its many architectural and decorative elements are beautifully accentuated in the current color scheme.

310 Park Ave - Henry Meeker Home

This home was originally built a block away at 302 Park Avenue. The new owner of the lot at 302 Park, Clarence Harding, had this house moved because Harding wanted to build a new house at 302. Franklin grocer, George Rossman, bought the plot at 321 Park for $750 in 1888 and sold it for $400 to Joseph Weis in 1894. Weis, in turn sold that land to one Mary Brininger for $3600 in 1904, so the house was built by then. However, the property at 302 Park was bought by Lilly Harding in 1895 for $4000 from James W. Thompson, who bought the lot in 1889 for $1000. From this it would appear that Thompson built this house, and moved it to fill Weis’ lot. Unfortunately, we know nothing about Thompson. The home’s first owner here, Mr. Weis, was a chemist. The 1900 census shows Weis, his wife Lisabel, their four children, and two servants living here. In 1906, the home was sold to Walter Siegfried, a dentist who practiced on Franklin’s Main Street. The 1910 census shows Siegfried, his wife Anna, and their four children at this address. The home remained in the family until the early 1960s.

Exactly who built this impressive house is uncertain. It was constructed in a Queen Anne style, but made distinctive by several Norman architectural elements. These include the large turret with conical roof, and its projecting oriel window with conical roof on the west. The west side also has a jerkin head roof and a small gable, called a gablet. There is vertical siding on the oriel window. A second turret on the east helps to balance the house. The roof is of imbricated shingles. Its Queen Anne features include sunburst motif on its walls, which remain, and two highly decorated porches, one small one along its east side and a much larger one that ran along most of the front, wrapping all the way around the tower. By 1916, this porch was gone, and replaced by one shaped similarly to the current porch. The current porch has paired Doric order columns.

321 Park

Barry A. Brown purchased this lot for $700 in 1888, and by 1890 built his Eastlake/Stick style house here. Although not visible today because of the siding, the house probably had varied wall treatment of undulating, horizontal, panel, or shingle siding. Originally, there was a long, narrow porch along the entire front of the house. Given the style of the house, the porch was probably pedimented. By 1916, the east side of the porch was deepened so as to become almost a circle on the southeast corner. Like other Eastlake style houses, this one has corbeled chimneys, and these are especially impressive. Other modern additions include the wrought iron of the porches, and the fence. In 1900, Mr. Brown’s occupation was listed as drummer, i.e salesman, and ,in 1907, he was listed as President of the Brown, Carson, and Dillman Legging Company, located on Second Street in Franklin. The address of this home in 1907 was 22 Park Avenue. In 1929, the house became the property of Brown’s wife.

403 Park Ave - Barry A Brown Home

In 1890, P. H. Rue bought this lot for $600 and probably the next year built this Eastlake style home. Although all decorative and many architectural details are now hidden under the present siding, we know much about the appearance of the house from diagrams and two old photographs. The house had a porch running along its entire front and east sides. And it had a projecting bay from its southwest corner, somewhat similar in appearance to the one still present on 230 Park, except the bay here had an open second floor porch with pointed roof. The photos show the house and porch covered in rich detail, including checkerboard board pattern above the three windows in the projecting west gable. Still identifiable on the projecting front attic gable is what was once another recessed porch. P. H. Rue was a lawyer who worked on Main Street in Franklin and was responsible for many of the land conveyances that led to the development of this neighborhood. The 1907 directory lists this address as 26 Park Avenue. The 1900 and 1910 censuses show Rue’s family consisted of his wife, Alma, and three children. By 1920, only one son was living at home. In 1924, the house became the property of Rue’s son, Milton. Milton was responsible for establishing a scholarship that has enabled many to obtain an education at Miami University.

415 Park Ave - P.H. Rue Home

In 1888, Elias Hohn bought the lot for $800 and some time after 1890 built his large Eastlake style house. Insurance plats show that it had three bays, a large square one on the east, an even larger curved bay on the west, and a projecting bay on the southeast similar in shape to the one still visible at 230 Park. Images taken in the early 1900s show it had two large projecting gables on its front, and that its porch was also pedimented and had a highly decorated porch frieze. We don’t know much about Hohn and he does not appear on any census, before the house’s sale to Laura Conover, in 1919. The 1907 Franklin directory showed Laura and her husband, Charles, an insurance and real estate salesman, living there. In 1929, Laura sold the house to her daughter, Audrey C. Betzler, and it went to Allen Betzler, in 1963. The house was later demolished and replaced by an apartment. Given its size, design, and few details available from photos, in 1900 this house must have served as the anchor to the west end of Franklin’s prestigious West Side suburb.

420 Park Ave - Elias Hohn Home

William Roof was Franklin’s most prominent architect and building contractor in the late 1800s and early 1900s. Among his buildings that still remain are the Harding Museum at 302 Park Avenue, St. Mary’s Catholic Church and Rectory, the Miller house at 258 Hill Avenue, the old Conover Hardware at Fourth and Main, and the Wheel Works Building on Oxford Road. Roof’s now vanished works include the Baptist Church, that burned in about 1960, and the old water works. Roof is listed in this house in the 1900 directory. In that year the house was sold to Eleanor White, who owned it until 1913, when it was sold to the Christ family. The 1900 directory showed the widowed Mrs. White at this address.

William Roof bought the lot for $550 in 1889, and it became the property of his wife, Irene, for $3500 in 1894, indicating that the house had been built by that time. The house is in a Queen Anne style similar to 305 Park Avenue. A porch decorated along its top edge by a frieze, originally ran along the entire front of the house. There were balustrades both along the porch and the porch’s roof. By 1916, this porch had been replaced by one that bulged out on the west side and that wrapped entirely around the corner to the east side. The third floor has a turret with recessed porch.

418 Park Ave - William Roof Home

The lot was bought from William Roof by Emma Shartle for $1 in 1900, and the house was built by 1905 because it appears on the insurance plat of that year. The house was built in a Queen Ann style, and has a steep roof originally topped with a balustrade. The house is dominated by a gabled pavilion, and it has gabled dormers on the east and west. The current porch, which looks much like the original, has fluted Doric order columns. Emma’s husband, S. M. Shartle was a machinist, and the 1912 telephone directory shows them here. In 1923, the house was donated to the First Baptist Church. The church owned it until 1937, when it was sold to Flora Meeker.

414 Park Ave - Emma Shartle Home

The lot was bought in 1899 by William Roof, who sold it in 1909 to Emma Shartle, who in turn sold it in 1922. The house is not on the insurance plat of 1916, but is there in 1926, so the house was built during this period for Emma Shartle. The home is a craftsman bungalow with a dormer gable and a jerkin head roof on the west. In 1922, the lot was sold to Scott and P. M. Hastings for $1, who in the same year split the lot. The north half, containing the house, was sold to Eva Gross and the south half to George Hall. On the 1920 census, Frank and Eva Gross were living on Lake, but a later insurance plat shows them here. In 1936, the house was sold to James and Anna Kraemer.

400 Park Home

James Towsley bought the lot in 1892 for $325, and sold it in 1895 to Annie Towsley for $2,500, so this vernacular house was built in those years. The house, with its steep gable, shows Queen Anne influence, and the current porch has Tuscan order columns. The 1900 directory shows J. B. Towsley living here and lists his occupation as teamster. The 1910 census shows Towsley as a mill hand and his wife, Anna, a dress maker. It remained in the family until 1912.

223 Maple Street - James Towsley Home

The house does not appear on the 1887 plat of the Mackinaw district, but is one of only 14 houses that appear on the 1890 tax survey, so it was built between those years. In 1890, the house’s owner is Maximo Emley. The house has a Gabled “L” shape, so designed to fit into a narrow residential lot. Max Emley was a grocer and son of Sarah Emley, the heir of the Chamberlains, who sold the last of the Chamberlain land to the Mackinaw Development Corporation in 1887. In 1893, Emley sold the house to Anna Tullis. Anna was the wife of Granville Tullis, who made his living as a gardener. They are shown living here in 1900, but later moved to 320 Lake Avenue.

220 Maple Street - Maximo Emley Home

Frank Seigummuller (or Seigmuller) purchased the lot in 1892, and this vernacular house was built by him. It is in a modified Queen Anne style, but any details that remain are hidden under the current siding. Seigummuller was a mill hand. The 1900 census shows Frank, his wife, and five children living here. In 1960, the home was owned by Milton Anderson, the great grandson of L. G. Anderson.

402 Lake - Frank Seigummuller Home

Hannah W. Sheeley purchased the lot in 1891 for $500, and she built this house. The house is a modified Queen Anne style. Large scrolled brackets support the west bay window, and there is an interesting hexagonal dormer on the north side. The east façade has a jerkin head roof and the chimneys are corbeled. Other decorative details, evident during the initial architectural survey, are now probably hidden under the siding. In 1899, the house was seized in a legal action by the Franklin Savings and Loan. Later, it was purchased by Ruth T. Schenck and after her death in 1907, sold to Granville C. and Sarah Tullis. Granville Tullis was a gardener, and he is shown living at this location in the 1900 directory

320 Lake - Hannah W Sheeley Home

Calvin Routzhan purchased the lot in 1885 for $450, and sold it in 1893 for $3000 to Mary Routzhan, so the house was built in those years. This vernacular house is in an L shape with the steep gable of the Queen Anne style. Calvin Routzhan was a retired miller and owner of the Routzhan Grist Mill, located just across the River in Franklin. Mary Routzhan sold the house in 1901 to Henry Stoutenborough, and the Stoutenborough family owned it until 1913.

315 Lake - Calvin Routzhan Home

Adonijah F. Emley bought the lot for $475 in 1883, and built this vernacular house sometime after. The house shows a Stick influence. Some original decorative features probably still remain under the modern siding. The original porch probably did not resemble the porches present today. The 1900 directory shows A. F. Emley, a painter, living at this address. In 1905, the house was sold to Mary McCarthy, and in turn to Leo McCarthy, remaining in the family until 1943. The 1910 and 1920 censuses show Joseph and Margaret McCarthy, and two daughters living here. Joseph McCarthy was a plumber.

314 Lake - Adonijah F Emley Home

Anna Duffy bought the lot in 1890 for $375, and sold it in 1901 for $1352, so the house was built then. The house is vernacular, but it shows a Stick Style influence. The north side shows a tiny roof gable, called a gablet. An early photo shows a porch in the same location but much smaller, more delicate and ornate. Henry Stoutenborough purchased the house in 1901, and in 1903, sold to Daniel Chamberlain. The 1910 and 1920 censuses show Daniel and Sarah Chamberlain at this address. They owned the house until 1929.

308 Lake - Anna Duffy Home

Enos Roof purchased the lot in 1894 from Jane Anderson, the widow of L. G. Anderson, who built 49 Miami Avenue. Shortly after that, Mr. Roof built this charming house, that still shows quite a lot of its original Queen Anne style in its asymmetrical floor plan and prominent gables. The house has an imbricated slate roof and dominating pedimented, porch probably shaped similar to the original. The porch’s modern columns are fluted and in the Doric order. Roof was a carpenter. The 1900 census shows Roof, and his wife Anna, living there. By 1910, they had two children and Anna was working as a seamstress. In 1921, Roof purchased an additional strip of land from the owners of 49 Miami Avenue, and this became a garden. The Roof family owned the house until 1948. The house located at 301 Lake Avenue, was built on the land purchased in 1921.

307 Lake - Enos Roof Home

Howard B. Anderson purchased the lot in 1888 and by 1890, built this eclectic Victorian. Its many architectural features include a gabled pavilion with bracing at its peak, and supported at its eastern base by large scrolled brackets. A large stained glass transom window is also on the Elm Street façade. The east gable also contains decorative bracing. The north side of the house has a jerkin head roof. A small and delicate porch was originally inset within the northeast angle of the house, but by 1916, this had been replaced by a larger, more substantial one having Tuscan order columns present today. Howard B. Anderson, the third son of L. G. Anderson, was probably born across Lake Avenue, at 49 Miami Avenue, and followed in his father’s footsteps as a Warren County commissioner. Howard spent his life in the family grain and lumber business, in Franklin. The 1900 and 1910 censuses show Howard, his very pretty wife Hattie, and their four children at this address. After Howard’s death, his wife, and later their daughters, Barbara Miller and Gertrude Anderson lived here until the 1960s.

302 Lake - Howard B Anderson Home

This Italianate style house, probably built after 1880 as the Baptist Parsonage, was originally located at 123 Miami Avenue. Architectural elements characteristic of the style include the tall bracketed windows, bay window on the west façade, and corbels under the cornice. The small, delicate original porch columns have been replaced by the larger, simpler and more heavily proportioned columns now present. The chain support is also not original. In 1923 it was moved to this site.

114 Elm Street - Baptist Parsonage

The lot was sold to Mary Anderson by her father, L. G. Anderson, in 1879, on the occasion of her wedding to Walter C. Cromer, a Civil War veteran and construction engineer for the Big Four Railroad. Soon after, this double frame house was built. It’s design elements include a recessed central pavilion, a two bay Eastlake porch with balustrade, and a center gable with a large pendent. Mary and Walter’s wedding reception was held at 49 Miami Avenue and the local paper of that time listed their many wedding gifts. The couple had an unhappy marriage. In 1884, Walter died of illness or injury associated with a flood. A year later their only child, a three year old daughter named Florence, died. Mary eventually married a William Rankin and moved to Troy, but she continued to own the property until 1933. The Cromers may never have lived here, but among the renters was Mary’s older brother, Derrick. He moved here from 103 Miami after falling on hard economic times. Derrick is shown here on the 1910 census.

Mackinaw Historic District Home Tour

Harding Museum, Franklin Area Historical Society

Introduction

Images

Backstory and Context

Additional Information