Visit the Orange Johnson House Museum and step back into nineteenth-century Worthington - into one of the
oldest residences standing in its original location in central Ohio.
This
property offers a unique view of both the pioneer and Federal periods
in Worthington. The oldest portion was
built in 1811 by Arora Buttles. The
six-room house was on thirty-five acres, part of a choice farm lot next
to the
village. The pioneer architecture
can be seen in the low-ceilinged keeping room with its solid walnut
wainscoting and
steep dogleg staircase to the second
story. The kitchen has the original open fireplace with a large iron
crane and
bread oven. The house is furnished
with period pieces, some of which have a connection to early Worthington
families and activities.
In 1816 Orange Johnson, a hornsmith
who specialized in comb-making, bought the property. He added a stately
Federal-style addition highlighted
by the gracious entry with its curved fanlight, sidelights and
delicately reeded
pilasters leading to a center hall.
Each of the four principal rooms in the federal-style addition contains a
fireplace
with handsome mantel. The front
door in the addition faced west toward the road that was becoming the
main route (now High St.) between Columbus, the new state capital, and
Lake Erie.