Gaskins-Malany House facts for kids
The Gaskins-Malany House is an old and important house located in Withamsville, Ohio, United States. It's considered a "historic house" because it has a lot of history and shows how people lived a long time ago. In 1975, this house was added to the National Register of Historic Places by the National Park Service. This means it's officially recognized as a special place worth protecting.
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A Look at the Farmstead
The Gaskins-Malany House is found at 726 Bradbury Road, near Locust Corner. This property isn't just a house; it's a whole farmstead! A farmstead is a group of buildings on a farm. Besides the main house, there's also a summer kitchen, a barn, a smokehouse, and a corn crib. These buildings were all built in the 1800s (the nineteenth century). They are great examples of how farms used to work in southwest Ohio a long time ago.
Early History of the Land
The land where the Gaskins-Malany House stands was once part of a large area called the John Knox Survey. This was a way of mapping out land back then. In 1827, a man named John Gaskins bought 57 acres of this land. He started building the farmstead we see today.
How the House Grew
John Gaskins first built a small, simple home. It had just one room and a loft (an upper floor, often used for sleeping). Then, in 1847, he added a bigger section to the front of the house. This new part had two rooms downstairs and two rooms upstairs. The property also had a small general store and a saw mill, which means it was a busy place in the community!
The Train Trestle Collapse
About five years after a narrow gauge railroad was built nearby, a serious accident happened. On August 8th, 1885, a train bridge, called a trestle, collapsed. This trestle was part of the Cincinnati and Eastern Railway line. It crossed over creeks right in front of the Gaskins-Malany Farmstead.
After the Accident
The trestle connected a hill where a train station for Locust Corner passengers was located to another hill. When the trestle collapsed, people who were hurt were brought to the stone porch of the Gaskins-Malany House for help. After this accident, the train line stopped running.
Later Years and Preservation
The Gaskins-Malany House continued to be a home for many years. In 1947, the inside of the farmhouse was updated. A year later, in 1948, another part was added to the house. In 1955, the Malany family moved into the house. They cared for it and helped make sure its history was remembered. It was the Malany family who helped get the house placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1975. This important step helps protect the house and its history for future generations.
