The Rombach Place is a historic house in the city of Wilmington,

Ohio Ohio ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Lake Erie to the north, Pennsylvania to the east, West Virginia to the southeast, Kentucky to the southwest, Indiana to the ...

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

. Built in the first third of the nineteenth century, it was home to a family that produced two prominent national politicians. No longer used as a residence, the house is now a museum, and it has been named a

historic site A historic site or heritage site is an official location where pieces of political, military, cultural, or social history have been preserved due to their cultural heritage value. Historic sites are usually protected by law, and many have been re ...

History

Robert Wickersham built the Rombach Place in 1831. It was later home to the family of

James W. Denver James William Denver (October 23, 1817 – August 9, 1892) was an American politician, soldier, and lawyer. He served in the California state government, as an officer in the United States Army in two wars, and as a Democratic member of the Uni ...

, a politician who achieved national prominence in the middle of the century.Owen, Lorrie K., ed. ''Dictionary of Ohio Historic Places''. Vol. 1. St. Clair Shores: Somerset, 1999, 153. James Denver was born in

Winchester, Virginia Winchester is the northwesternmost Administrative divisions of Virginia#Independent cities, independent city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Virginia, United States. It is the county seat of Frederick County, Virginia, Frederi ...

in 1817,Brown, Albert J., ed. ''History of Clinton County Ohio: Its People, Industries, and Institutions''.

Indianapolis Indianapolis ( ), colloquially known as Indy, is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Indiana, most populous city of the U.S. state of Indiana and the county seat of Marion County, Indiana, Marion ...

: Bowen, 1915. and at the age of thirty-nine he married the former Louise Rombach of Wilmington; to this union were born four children. Much of his youth was spent on a farm near Wilmington, but he later moved far to the west, serving as a

U.S. Representative The United States House of Representatives is a chamber of the bicameral United States Congress; it is the lower house, with the U.S. Senate being the upper house. Together, the House and Senate have the authority under Article One of th ...

from California, a

governor A governor is an politician, administrative leader and head of a polity or Region#Political regions, political region, in some cases, such as governor-general, governors-general, as the head of a state's official representative. Depending on the ...

of the

Kansas Territory The Territory of Kansas was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from May 30, 1854, until January 29, 1861, when the eastern portion of the territory was admitted to the United States, Union as the Slave and ...

(a new settlement in the far west of the territory, now part of Colorado, was named for him), as the

Commissioner of Indian Affairs The Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA), also known as Indian Affairs (IA), is a United States List of United States federal agencies, federal agency within the U.S. Department of the Interior, Department of the Interior. It is responsible for im ...

, and as a U.S. Army general during the

Civil War A civil war is a war between organized groups within the same Sovereign state, state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies.J ...

. However, after the war, he returned to Wilmington for a time. In 1870, while he and his family were resident in the Rombach Place, their youngest son was born; named

Matthew Matthew may refer to: * Matthew (given name) * Matthew (surname) * ''Matthew'' (album), a 2000 album by rapper Kool Keith * Matthew (elm cultivar), a cultivar of the Chinese Elm ''Ulmus parvifolia'' Christianity * Matthew the Apostle, one of ...

, he was later elected a U.S. Representative from Ohio.

Architecture

Built in the

Greek Revival Greek Revival architecture is a architectural style, style that began in the middle of the 18th century but which particularly flourished in the late 18th and early 19th centuries, predominantly in northern Europe, the United States, and Canada, ...

style of architecture,The place to visit for history in Clinton County, Ohio
Clinton County History Center, 2013. Accessed 2013-08-11. the primary portion of the house is two stories tall and five

bays A bay is a recessed, coastal body of water that directly connects to a larger main body of water, such as an ocean, a lake, or another bay. A large bay is usually called a ''gulf'', ''sea'', ''sound'', or ''bight''. A ''cove'' is a small, ci ...

wide. An entrance is located in the middle bay of the first floor, covered by a small

portico A portico is a porch leading to the entrance of a building, or extended as a colonnade, with a roof structure over a walkway, supported by columns or enclosed by walls. This idea was widely used in ancient Greece and has influenced many cu ...

with a

pediment Pediments are a form of gable in classical architecture, usually of a triangular shape. Pediments are placed above the horizontal structure of the cornice (an elaborated lintel), or entablature if supported by columns.Summerson, 130 In an ...

and four square

column A column or pillar in architecture and structural engineering is a structural element that transmits, through compression, the weight of the structure above to other structural elements below. In other words, a column is a compression member ...

s. Smaller windows and prominent

chimney A chimney is an architectural ventilation structure made of masonry, clay or metal that isolates hot toxic exhaust gases or smoke produced by a boiler, stove, furnace, incinerator, or fireplace from human living areas. Chimneys are typical ...

s are located on the ends of the house, to which are attached one-bay, single-story sections.,

Ohio Historical Society Ohio History Connection, formerly The Ohio State Archaeological and Historical Society and Ohio Historical Society, is a nonprofit organization incorporated in 1885. Headquartered at the Ohio History Center in Columbus, Ohio, Ohio History Connect ...

, 2007. Accessed 2013-08-11. Built in the shape of the letter "T", the house is constructed of brick and covered with a shingled roof that rises to a pair of

gable A gable is the generally triangular portion of a wall between the edges of intersecting roof pitches. The shape of the gable and how it is detailed depends on the structural system used, which reflects climate, material availability, and aesth ...

s; the walls are covered with

stucco Stucco or render is a construction material made of aggregates, a binder, and water. Stucco is applied wet and hardens to a very dense solid. It is used as a decorative coating for walls and ceilings, exterior walls, and as a sculptural and ...

, and a fence encircles the roofs of the single-story sections on the ends.

Preservation

Today, the Rombach Place is no longer used as a residence: it is the home of the

Clinton County Clinton County may refer to: *Counties named for George Clinton, first and third Governor of New York, and later the fourth Vice President of the United States: **Clinton County, New York ** Clinton County, Ohio *Counties named for DeWitt Clinton, ...

Historical Society, which operates it as a museum, genealogy library, and conference center. The house was listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...

in 1979, qualifying both because of its historically significant architecture and because of its place as the home of General James Denver. It was the city's third building to be listed on the National Register; the Doan House on the city's east side was listed on the same day, and College Hall on the Wilmington College campus preceded both buildings by six years.

References

External links

Clinton County Historical Society
{{authority control Houses completed in 1831 Museums in Clinton County, Ohio National Register of Historic Places in Clinton County, Ohio Community centers in Ohio Genealogical libraries in the United States Greek Revival houses in Ohio Historical society museums in Ohio Historic house museums in Ohio Libraries in Ohio Houses on the National Register of Historic Places in Ohio U.S. Route 22 Houses in Clinton County, Ohio