Sloane House-439 N. Market St., Wooster, Ohio
Sloane House was built in 1845 for John Sloane and his daughter, Elizabeth Sloane Bissell. Sloane was a Wooster resident and Colonel who made himself famous in national politics. He was elected as an Ohio State Representative in the early 1800s, then into Congress from 1819-1829. He was Secretary of the State of Ohio in the 1840s and Treasurer of the United States in the early 1850s. Sloane was known as a gentleman and a brilliant political writer, highly praised for supporting legislature reducing land prices and aiding less advantaged settlers.
A wrought iron fence surrounds the house, which was preserved by the owners during World War II despite the call for metal donations to the war effort. It is adorned with a plaque commemorating Sloane, the work of the Wooster Museum (before it was moved under the care of the Wayne County Historical Society of Ohio). The plaque emphasizes the importance Wooster residents place on their historical buildings. Mrs. Lyman Robert Critchfield embodies this characteristic, having preserved the house since she attained it in 1946. She gave meticulous attention to the preservation and reservation efforts, trying to be as faithful to the original building as possible.
The look of the house is reminiscent of Gothic revival architecture, propagated in that time by Andrew Jackson Downing, who Sloane was probably exposed to during his time in Washington. It is made out of brick, with white shutters and trim. The woodwork left from the original house is hand-carved, the designs for the fence and columns inspired by 19th century china patterns. Columns frame the double doorway that matches the portico. The house has been renovated for modern use, divided into apartments. A carriage house and barn were taken down to make way for another addition of apartments. After the property was bought by Forest and Georgia Muir in 2011 the back addition was torn down and the building is used for office space.
Wayne County Recorder Property Transfers
Newspaper articles
{{Wayne County Democrat, on May 15, 1856 page 3.[/ article | title = Death of Col. John Sloan | year = 1856 | month = 05 | day = 15 | page = p. 3 }}
See Also
- To figure out how much people paid for a property read about Revenue Stamps and Property Conveyance Fee History