John H. Clark House facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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Dr. Clark House
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Front of the house
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 Location in Ohio
Location in the United States
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| Location | 21 N. Main St., Mechanicsburg, Ohio |
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| Area | Less than 1 acre (0.40 ha) |
| Built | 1875 |
| Architectural style | Italianate |
| MPS | Mechanicsburg MRA |
| NRHP reference No. | 85001879 |
| Added to NRHP | August 29, 1985 |
The John H. Clark House is a historic home in the village of Mechanicsburg, Ohio. It was built in 1875 during a time when Mechanicsburg was growing fast. This house was the home of a well-known local doctor, John H. Clark. It is now recognized as a historic site because of its beautiful and important architecture.
About Dr. John H. Clark
John H. Clark was born in 1829 in Union Township, Champaign County, Ohio. He came from one of the oldest families in Champaign County, Ohio. After studying medicine at the Starling Medical College, he started working as a doctor in 1853. He first practiced in the nearby village of Mutual, Ohio.
In 1859, Dr. Clark moved to Decatur, Illinois. But just two years later, he came back to Champaign County. From then until he passed away in 1901, he was a very important person in Mechanicsburg. During the American Civil War, he was part of the United States Sanitary Commission. He also led a hospital for mental health in Dayton, Ohio from 1874 to 1876.
While living in Mechanicsburg, Dr. Clark was a member of several medical groups. These included the Champaign County and Ohio State Medical Societies, and the American Medical Association. He also wrote many articles for medical journals. In 1852, he married Elenor Williams, and they had one son. Their marriage lasted until Dr. Clark's death in 1901. He was involved with the Democratic Party, the Episcopal church in Mechanicsburg, and the local Masonic lodge.
Dr. Clark was mainly known as a doctor and a banker. In 1887, he worked with another doctor, Oram Nincehelser. They worked together until 1893. For much of his career, Dr. Clark had his medical office in the historic Lawler's Tavern. He was also the president of the Farmers Bank of Mechanicsburg.
The Clark House Style
Dr. Clark had his house built in 1875. We don't know the names of the people who designed or built it. The house is built in the Italianate style. This means it looks like buildings from 16th-century Italy. It is made of brick with a stone foundation and an asphalt roof. It also has other stone details.
The Clark House is one of many historic Italianate homes in Mechanicsburg from the late 1800s. It was built when the village was growing very quickly after the American Civil War. The number of people living in Mechanicsburg almost doubled between 1870 and 1890. The house is a great example of the popular style of that time. It has common Italianate features like a cornice (a decorative molding) with pairs of brackets. It also has arched windows with decorative hood molds and an ornamental frieze (a wide band of decoration).
The house's shape is like the letter "L". A side porch with small Ionic columns was added later. There is also a small wooden garage at the back of the property.
The Clark House is located at the edge of the Main Street residential area. Other fancy homes, like the Demand-Gest House, Jeff Kimball House, and Oram Nincehelser House, are nearby. Right next to it are commercial buildings, such as Lawler's Tavern and the Village Hobby Shop.
Protecting the Clark House
The Clark House was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1985. This is a list of places in the United States that are important to history. The house was part of a group of about twenty buildings in Mechanicsburg that were added to the Register at the same time. These buildings were spread out, so they couldn't be made into one large historic district.
Many of the other buildings on the list were also houses, including several other important homes on North Main Street. The list also included nearby businesses like Lawler's Tavern and churches like the Mechanicsburg United Methodist Church. The Clark House was chosen because of its important architecture and its role in Ohio's history.
