Clarence Darrow Octagon House

Last updated
Clarence Darrow Octagon House
Clarence Darrow Octagon House.jpg
Roadside view of the house
USA Ohio location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Usa edcp location map.svg
Red pog.svg
LocationState Routes 5 and 7, Kinsman, Ohio
Coordinates 41°26′59″N80°35′4″W / 41.44972°N 80.58444°W / 41.44972; -80.58444 Coordinates: 41°26′59″N80°35′4″W / 41.44972°N 80.58444°W / 41.44972; -80.58444
AreaLess than 1 acre (0.40 ha)
Built1854 (1854)
Architectural style Octagon Mode
NRHP reference No. 71001025 [1]
Added to NRHPSeptember 10, 1971

The Clarence Darrow Octagon House is a historic octagon house in the community of Kinsman, Ohio, United States. Home to lawyer Clarence Darrow in his childhood, it has been named a historic site.

Born in the nearby community of Farmdale, Clarence Darrow was the son of a cabinetmaker. Together with his family, he moved to the octagon house in 1864 at the age of seven and lived in it until the family moved out of state circa 1873. Darrow became a nationally prominent lawyer in his adulthood, [2] and he remembered the octagon house as his home during his most significant childhood years, at a time when his interest in the law was leading him into activities such as running mock trials with his friends. Darrow's final visit to the house occurred in 1936, two years before his death. [3]

Constructed circa 1854, the Darrow House is typical of octagon houses, a short-lived popular passion during the middle of the nineteenth century; its leading proponent, Orson Squire Fowler, advocated their construction as a means of providing superior housing for the poor, and the design allowed for the interior space to be used more efficiently. The Darrow House is primarily a wooden building; the walls are chestnut, with concrete used for chinking. [2] There are seven rooms inside, and much of the original woodworking (for example, the cupboards) survives, as well as the original fireplaces and mantels. The first story of the house is surrounded by a prominent porch, which is absent from only one of the eight sides. [3] Windows are centered in the sides on both stories, and a chimney protrudes from the center. [4]

In September 1971, the Clarence Darrow Octagon House was listed on the National Register of Historic Places, just one week after the same distinction was awarded to Kinsman's Congregational-Presbyterian Church and Dr. Peter Allen House. It is one of seven Ohio octagon houses on the National Register; most were built circa 1860, although "the Octagon" in Tiffin dates from 1852. Unlike the other houses, which qualified for the Register because of their architecture, the Darrow House was deemed eligible solely because of its famous resident. [1] A state historical marker was placed in front of the house in 2000. [2]

Related Research Articles

Clarence Darrow American lawyer and leading member of the American Civil Liberties Union

Clarence Seward Darrow was an American lawyer who became famous in the early 20th century for his involvement in the Leopold and Loeb murder trial and the Scopes "Monkey" Trial. He was a leading member of the American Civil Liberties Union, and a prominent advocate for Georgist economic reform.

Kinsman, Ohio Unincorporated Area

Kinsman is an unincorporated community and census-designated place in southern Kinsman Township, Trumbull County, Ohio, United States. Its population was 616 as of the 2010 census. Although it is unincorporated, it has a post office, with the ZIP code of 44428; as well as a library, the Kinsman Free Public Library. It lies along State Route 7 between Williamsfield and Burghill, at the intersection with State Route 5.

Morrison House (Cincinnati, Ohio) United States historic place

The Morrison House is a historic residence in Cincinnati, Ohio, United States. One of the area's first houses designed by master architect Samuel Hannaford, the elaborate brick house was home to the owner of a prominent food-processing firm, and it has been named a historic site.

Louis Sawyer House United States historic place

The Louis Sawyer House is a historic residence in the city of Wyoming, Ohio, United States. Erected at the turn of the twentieth century, it was originally the home of an important lawyer, and it has been designated a historic site because of its architecture.

Winton Place Methodist Episcopal Church United States historic place

The Winton Place Methodist Episcopal Church is a historic church building in the Winton Place neighborhood of Cincinnati, Ohio, United States that was constructed as the home of a congregation of the Methodist Episcopal Church in the late nineteenth century. The congregation grew out of a group that was founded in 1856; although the members erected their first building in 1860, they were not officially organized until 1872. Among the leading members of the congregation was Samuel Hannaford, a prominent Cincinnati architect. When the congregation chose to build a new church building in 1884, Hannaford was chosen as the architect for the project. At this time, Hannaford was near to the peak of his prestige: he had ended a partnership with another architect seven years before, and his reputation was growing with his designs of significant Cincinnati-area buildings such as the Cincinnati Music Hall.

Henry P. Deuscher House United States historic place

The Henry P. Deuscher House is a historic farmhouse in the countryside of the southwestern part of the U.S. state of Ohio. Located near the city of Trenton, it was originally home to one of the area's leading farmers, and it has been named a historic site.

Henry Maltby House United States historic place

The Henry Maltby House was a historic house near the campus of Miami University in Oxford, Ohio, United States. Built in the 1850s, it was once home to a prominent minister in the community. Important partly for its architecture, it was eventually relegated to student housing before being demolished. Before its destruction, it was named a historic site.

Adams–Gray House United States historic place

The Adams–Gray House is a historic farmhouse in the community of Adams Mills, Ohio. Constructed in the 1840s in two separate counties, it has been named a historic site.

Andalusia (estate) United States historic place

Andalusia, also known as the Nicholas Biddle Estate, is a historic mansion and estate located on the Delaware River, just north of Philadelphia, in Bensalem Township, Bucks County, Pennsylvania. The community surrounding it, Andalusia, takes its name from the 225-acre estate.

Rhea County Courthouse United States historic place

The Rhea County Courthouse is a historic county courthouse in the center of Dayton, the county seat of Rhea County, Tennessee. Built in 1891, it is famous as the scene of the Scopes Trial of July 1925, in which teacher John T. Scopes faced charges for including Charles Darwin's theory of evolution in his public school lesson. The trial became a clash of titans between the lawyers William Jennings Bryan for the prosecution and Clarence Darrow for the defense, and epitomizes the tension between fundamentalism and modernism in a wide range of aspects of American society. The courthouse, now also housing a museum devoted to the trial, was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1976.

The Octagon (Heidelberg University) United States historic place

The Octagon is a historic octagon house on the campus of Heidelberg University in Tiffin, Ohio, United States. Built in the mid-19th century, it has been used for residential purposes throughout its history, and while it has experienced over a century of gradual deterioration, it has been named a historic site, and the 21st century has seen plans to restore it to its original integrity.

John Hosford House United States historic place

The John Hosford House is a historic octagon house located along U.S. Route 20 in Monroeville, Ohio, United States. Built at an unknown point in the mid-nineteenth century, it has been named a historic site.

William Lawrence House (Bellefontaine, Ohio) United States historic place

The William Lawrence House is a historic house in Bellefontaine, Ohio, United States. Located along Main Street north of the city's downtown, it is historically significant as the home of William Lawrence, a prominent U.S. Representative during the late nineteenth century.

Mechanicsburg United Methodist Church United States historic place

Mechanicsburg United Methodist Church is a historic Methodist congregation in the village of Mechanicsburg, Ohio, United States. Founded in the early nineteenth century, it is the oldest church in the village, and as such it has played a part in the histories of other Mechanicsburg churches. Its fifth and present church, a Gothic Revival-style structure erected in the 1890s, has been named a historic site.

St. Roses Catholic Church (St. Rose, Ohio) United States historic place

St. Rose's Catholic Church is a historic Catholic church in St. Rose, an unincorporated community in Marion Township, Mercer County, Ohio, United States.

Seip House United States historic place

The Seip House is a historic building on the west side of Chillicothe, Ohio, United States. Built in 1895, it is among the city's grandest houses.

Young-Shaw House United States historic place

The Young-Shaw House was a historic farmhouse located near Sarahsville, Ohio, United States. A simple building originally home to a wealthy farmer, it was passed down through numerous generations of the original owner's family, and it has been named a historic site.

Thunderbird Lodge (Rose Valley, Pennsylvania) United States historic place

Thunderbird Lodge is a building of historical and architectural significance in the utopian community of Rose Valley, Delaware County, Pennsylvania.

Martin Bushnell House United States historic place

The Martin Bushnell House is a historic residence in the city of Mansfield, Ohio, United States. Built in 1892, the house was home to Martin Bushnell, a prominent civic leader, businessman, and politician, and it has been named a historic site.

Holmes County Courthouse (Ohio) local government building in the United States

The Holmes County Courthouse is a historic government building in Millersburg, Ohio, United States. Built in the late nineteenth century, it has been designated a historic site because of its architectural importance.

References

  1. 1 2 "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places . National Park Service. July 9, 2010.
  2. 1 2 3 Marker #12-78 Darrow Octagon House / Clarence Darrow (1857-1938) Archived 2015-01-03 at the Wayback Machine , Ohio Historical Society, 2000. Accessed 2015-01-02.
  3. 1 2 Owen, Lorrie K., ed. Dictionary of Ohio Historic Places. Vol. 2. St. Clair Shores: Somerset, 1345.
  4. Darrow, Clarence, Octagon House, Ohio Historical Society, 2007. Accessed 2010-02-23.