William H. McGuffey House facts for kids
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William H. McGuffey House
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Front and western side of the house
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 Location in Ohio
Location in the United States
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| Location | 401 E. Spring St., Oxford, Ohio |
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| Area | less than one acre |
| Built | 1833 |
| Architect | William H. McGuffey |
| NRHP reference No. | 66000605 |
Quick facts for kids Significant dates |
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| Added to NRHP | October 15, 1966 |
| Designated NHL | December 21, 1965 |
The William H. McGuffey House is a special historic house museum located at 401 East Spring Street. You can find it on the campus of Miami University in Oxford, Ohio, United States. This house was built in 1833. It was the home of a famous author and professor named William Holmes McGuffey (1800–1873) from 1833 to 1836.
People believe that McGuffey wrote the first four of his famous McGuffey Readers right here. These "Readers" were very popular textbooks used to teach many generations of American students. Because of its importance, the house was named a National Historic Landmark in 1965. Today, Miami University runs it as the William Holmes McGuffey Museum.
About the McGuffey House
The William H. McGuffey House is in Oxford, Ohio. It sits at the corner of East Spring and South Oak Streets. This house is a two-story building made of brick. It has a pointed roof and a two-story wooden section at the back.
The front of the roof has decorative brackets. The sides of the roof have cool Gothic-style trim. A porch with a flat roof stretches across the front of the house. Four round columns hold up the porch roof, and it has a pretty railing. The front of the house has three sections. The main door is on the left side and has a small window above it. Inside, the house looks like it did in the 1800s. You can see old furniture and items that belonged to William H. McGuffey.
History of the House
The house was built in 1833 for William H. McGuffey. At that time, he was a professor at Miami University. McGuffey cared a lot about public education. It was in this house that he started writing and publishing the McGuffey Readers. These were a series of textbooks that got harder as you went through them.
The McGuffey Readers became incredibly popular. Millions of copies were sold all over the country. Schools used them as teaching books well into the 1900s. McGuffey only lived in this house until 1836. After that, he moved to Athens. The house then had several different owners. Eventually, Miami University bought it. They restored it and turned it into the historic house museum it is today.
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