Chapter of the Ohio Genealogical Society
Researching Warren County and beyond! We are a FamilySearch Affiliate Library!
House Histories
Did you know that we can help with your House History? Sometimes referred to as a House Genealogy, it can be very interesting to know more about the building, land, and who may have lived there. LegacyTree Genealogists posted a great article entitled "How I Traced the Genealogy of a House." Linda Eckert is heading up a special team of researchers with knowledge of the different records needed to do this. If you are interested in having a House History done, or would like to help with this type of research, check out our Volunteer page! There is a Contact Form at the bottom of this page to get in touch.
House Histories Committee Update
The House Histories Committee has completed two houses and is working on a third. The first to be researched was the Green Tree Inn built in 1832 by Ichabod Corwin, Jr., north of Lebanon and is a great example of an historic Ohio Inn on the stagecoach lines. This was chosen because the recent purchase of the land by Duke Energy made it uncertain if the house would remain on the property.
Our research includes property searches, research of architecture and floor plans, and extensive search of the owners of the property over the years.
The second house was a Maineville farmhouse on Route 48, familiarly known as the Michel Farmhouse, was built in 1838. The house plan was typical of many prominent farms in our area and included the raising of cattle that were exported to Venezuela, Mexico, Honduras, and Costa Rica. Later it operated as the Green Hills Dairy Farm for many years. The property is being sold and the original house will likely be torn down.
The third property in downtown Mason was built as a personal residence in the Second Empire style in 1873, and later converted into The Modern Hotel in 1911, providing boarding by the week, day, or meal. Improvements included a furnace and radiators replacing fireplaces in each room, larger window replacements, water system to pump water to storage tank in attic and gravity flowed to sink, and a speakeasy in the basement.
This historic building has a story to tell as the location of an unsolved murder in 1901 and reported ghost sightings. It is currently a restaurant, Thai Terrace.
Submitted by Pam Kinane, House Histories Committee Member
July 2022
Warren County Historic House #3
The Modern Hotel, now Thai Terrace
Photo taken 7 Mar 2005.
Image from the Warren County Auditor's Property Search Website.
Warren County Historic House #2
Michel's Farm Homestead
Photo taken 25 Jul 2005.
Image from the Warren County Auditor's Property Search Website.
GOING, GOING, GONE!
The next project for our House Histories Committee is the soon-to-be-demolished Michel’s farm homestead. Located at 5756 South State Route 48 in Hamilton Township, the committee is going to have to move fast on this one! If you have any information or stories about this house, please contact the House Histories Committee.
Warren County Historic House #1
Green Tree Tavern and Inn
Photo taken 9 Sep 2004.
Image from the Warren County Auditor's Property Search Website.
WCGS has begun a new project to identify and document the past ownership and history of old historic houses in Warren County. Some of these houses were homesteads built in the early years of Warren County and Ohio. As we complete documenting each house, we will share its interesting story with you. Our plan is to ultimately publish these histories in a book.
Our first project is the Green Tree Tavern and Inn, built by Isaac Morris (circa 1741-1828) on his farm over 200 years ago, circa 1810. This two story brick structure is currently unoccupied but still standing, facing Route 741 on the southeast corner of the intersection with Greentree Road in Turtlecreek Township (Range 4, Township 3, Section 19), northeast of Lebanon.
We would appreciate your sharing any historic information you may have on the Green Tree Tavern and Inn and / or Isaac Morris, or your suggestions on other historic Warren County houses that we should research. Please email Linda Eckert, WCGS President, using the contact form at the bottom of this page.
Submitted by:
Winston Cochrane, WCGS Volunteer
Member of the House Histories Research Team