Kennedy Stone House
Encyclopedia
The Kennedy Stone House is located in Salt Fork State Park
in Guernsey County
, Ohio
. The house and surrounding structures were placed on the National Register
on October 3, 1975.
, and a well was dug.
The property remained in the Kennedy family until 1966, when it was purchased by the state to form Salt Fork State Park. The scenery changed dramatically, as the cornfield that stretched in front of the house was soon turned into a lake. Now isolated on a remote shore, the house was soon neglected and fell into disrepair.
In 1975 it was placed on the National Register and remained in its abandoned state. The roof was damaged during a storm when a tree branch fell through the roof, but the parks crew replaced it. This started a movement to fix the house and it was named the Guernsey County Bicentennial Commission Legacy Program. Local volunteers cleaned up the area and soon transformed themselves into Friends for the Restoration of The Kennedy Stone House. Major restoration was done from 2000–2002.
The organization transformed itself into the Friends of the Kennedy Stone House Salt Fork State Park and maintains the house as a museum. One of the programs the organization performs is the docent program, where retirees or history students from Muskingum College
occupy a cabin above the stone house and are charged as caretakers to the property.
and contained columns and a balcony. To either side of the door are two rectangular windows. The second floor contains five windows in line over the first floor windows. The gabled roof is pierced at either end by a large stone chimney.
The house being only one room deep meant during the family's growth a new addition would be made. A two-story wooden-frame wing was added to the rear of the building and contained the summer kitchen and several bedrooms. This addition would not last and today's reconstruction only includes the summer kitchen.
A root cellar is located to the right of the house and built of thick stone blocks. The sides of the cellar are lined with dirt and plants to allow for cooler internal temperatures. The ceiling is penetrated by two diamond shaped holes for ventilation and light. The well is now covered over and a natural spring has been capped.
Salt Fork State Park
Salt Fork State Park is a state park located north of Lore City in Guernsey County, Ohio, United States. It contains of land and of water. It is the largest state park in Ohio.-History:...
in Guernsey County
Guernsey County, Ohio
Guernsey County is a county located in the state of Ohio. As of 2010, the population was 40,087. Its county seat is Cambridge and is named for the Isle of Guernsey in the English Channel, from which many of the county's early settlers came....
, Ohio
Ohio
Ohio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...
. The house and surrounding structures were placed on the National Register
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
on October 3, 1975.
History
Benjamin Kennedy, purchased an 80 acres (323,748.8 m²) tract of land along Sugar Creek. He commissioned a house to be built in the Federal style out of the local sandstone. The house was flanked by a root cellar, a summer kitchen, a necessaryOuthouse
An outhouse is a small structure separate from a main building which often contained a simple toilet and may possibly also be used for housing animals and storage.- Terminology :...
, and a well was dug.
The property remained in the Kennedy family until 1966, when it was purchased by the state to form Salt Fork State Park. The scenery changed dramatically, as the cornfield that stretched in front of the house was soon turned into a lake. Now isolated on a remote shore, the house was soon neglected and fell into disrepair.
In 1975 it was placed on the National Register and remained in its abandoned state. The roof was damaged during a storm when a tree branch fell through the roof, but the parks crew replaced it. This started a movement to fix the house and it was named the Guernsey County Bicentennial Commission Legacy Program. Local volunteers cleaned up the area and soon transformed themselves into Friends for the Restoration of The Kennedy Stone House. Major restoration was done from 2000–2002.
The organization transformed itself into the Friends of the Kennedy Stone House Salt Fork State Park and maintains the house as a museum. One of the programs the organization performs is the docent program, where retirees or history students from Muskingum College
Muskingum College
Muskingum University is a private four-year comprehensive college with a strong liberal arts tradition located in New Concord, Ohio, approximately sixty miles east of the state capital of Columbus. Founded in 1837, Muskingum University is affiliated with the Presbyterian Church , although since the...
occupy a cabin above the stone house and are charged as caretakers to the property.
Exterior
The stone house contains a central door reached by a flight of stairs and a small porch. The porch was once covered over during the Victorian eraVictorian era
The Victorian era of British history was the period of Queen Victoria's reign from 20 June 1837 until her death on 22 January 1901. It was a long period of peace, prosperity, refined sensibilities and national self-confidence...
and contained columns and a balcony. To either side of the door are two rectangular windows. The second floor contains five windows in line over the first floor windows. The gabled roof is pierced at either end by a large stone chimney.
The house being only one room deep meant during the family's growth a new addition would be made. A two-story wooden-frame wing was added to the rear of the building and contained the summer kitchen and several bedrooms. This addition would not last and today's reconstruction only includes the summer kitchen.
A root cellar is located to the right of the house and built of thick stone blocks. The sides of the cellar are lined with dirt and plants to allow for cooler internal temperatures. The ceiling is penetrated by two diamond shaped holes for ventilation and light. The well is now covered over and a natural spring has been capped.
External links
- http://www.kennedystonehouse.org