Harrison House

The OES visited Harrison House on August 25, 2002. The house was most likely built in 1807 by Jacob Oberdier, but the lack of documentation, drawings, and photographs may put that date in dispute. The Harrison House was one of only twelve brick homes built in early Franklinton and is one of the few remaining original structures of Franklinton still standing when we visited. General William Henry Harrison, who later became the 9th President of the United States, is said to have used the home in 1813 and 1814 as a headquarters for the Northwest Army during the War of 1812. Later during the Civil War, confederate spy A.J. Marlowe lived in the home, reporting his findings from Camp Chase to the south. Seventeen individuals, overall, have owned the house, the longest residents being the Kuhn Family, who resided in the home from 1863 to 1973. The Harrison House was registered as a National Historic Place in 1972 but was almost leveled to make way for a parking lot in 1975. The house was one of those rare buildings that survived the pavement, and in 1980, it was purchased by the City of Columbus. Harrison House is currently being leased through the city to the Franklin County Historical & Genealogical Society.

Location Information: Active Society

Harrison House is located at 570 West Broad Street in Columbus; Franklin County.

Photographs