Elias Kumler House facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
|
|
Elias Kumler House
|
|
Front of the house
|
|
 Location in Ohio
Location in the United States
|
|
| Location | 120 S. Main St., Oxford, Ohio |
|---|---|
| Area | Less than 1 acre (0.40 ha) |
| Built | 1856 |
| Architectural style | Gothic Revival |
| NRHP reference No. | 80002948 |
| Added to NRHP | January 3, 1980 |
The Elias Kumler House is an old and important home in Oxford, Ohio, USA. It was built in the 1850s. Elias Kumler, a very influential person, lived here first. He helped many schools in Oxford. This house has always been a home and is now a special historic site.
Contents
The Story of the Elias Kumler House
Who Was Elias Kumler?
Elias Kumler was born in 1830. His full name was Jeremiah Prophet Elias Kumler. When he was young, he worked on a farm and as a merchant. Later, he became Oxford's first banker.
By the 1850s, Mr. Kumler had become very rich. He used his money to help others, which is called philanthropy. In 1856, he gave money to build the Junction Railway. This railway connected Hamilton, Ohio and Connersville, Indiana.
Kumler's Help for Schools
Elias Kumler also supported schools in Oxford. He was a trustee for the Western College for Women for many years. He also helped the Oxford Female Institute. He even gave money to start a fund for the Lane Theological Seminary.
When Western College was almost out of money, Mr. Kumler helped save it. He also gave money to the Female Institute. He truly cared about education.
Owners Through the Years
The Elias Kumler House was built in 1856. Elias Kumler owned it until 1868. Then, he sold it to Ebenezer Lane, a shipping leader from Cincinnati. Mr. Lane owned the house for 20 years.
In 1888, Frank Cone, a local businessman, bought the house. Mr. Cone lived there until the 1920s. After that, the house became rental housing for Miami University students.
Saving the House
Over time, the house started to fall apart. It was no longer lived in by its owners. The city of Oxford even said it was unsafe. But then, a new owner bought it. He wanted to fix it, not tear it down.
He worked hard to make the house strong and safe again. In 1979, he sold the restored house.
What the House Looks Like
The Elias Kumler House is made of brick. It also has parts made of wood and sandstone. Its base, called the foundation, is made of cut stone.
The house is one-and-a-half stories tall. It has a very steep, pointed roof called a gabled roof. There is a gable on each of the four sides of the house. The corners of the roof also rise up from each corner.
Some parts of the roof and gables have fancy decorations called finials. The edges of the roof, called eaves, have large, decorative boards called bargeboards. Many windows have stone frames around them.
You enter the house through a main door that is set back a bit. It has a simple, strong design. All these features together make the house a great example of the Gothic Revival style. It is the best example of this style in Oxford.
A Special Historic Place
In 1975, the Kumler House was featured in a book about old Oxford houses. In 1977, it was officially recorded by the Ohio Historic Inventory. This is a program that helps protect old buildings.
The survey found the house to be in excellent condition. It was considered important enough to be added to the National Register of Historic Places. This is a list of special historic places in the United States.
In January 1980, the house was added to the National Register. It was recognized for its beautiful architecture. It was more detailed than other Gothic Revival buildings in Oxford. The Elias Kumler House is one of eleven places in Oxford on this important list.
