Visitors to Ripley (Ohio), can view a variety of homes dating to the arrival of the first settlers to the region.
Most are private homes with a few tourism attractions, like John Rankin House, which is linked to the Underground Railroad history of the region.
Standing along Colonial Row, on Main Street in Ripley is Silver Point, a three-story Georgian style brick house built in 1841 by Samuel Hemphill.
The house's 23 rooms are a treasure trove of carved architectural designs, said Greg Haitz, who has frequented the house while researching the design and former owners of the home.
“The architecture is an excellent example of the Neo-Classical period,” Haitz said on Thursday. “The lines of this house almost exactly duplicate those of the fifth century Temple of Neptune in Greece. “
The Roman-Grecio mansion has had many names down through the years, he said.
"Hemphill’s, Nick Germann’s, or Griffith’s, but the original name of this home was Silver Point, built by Samuel Hemphill,” he said.
Hemphill, at the age of 18, settled in Ripley in 1830, building the mansion in 1841, for his new bride.
“The nickname “Silver Point” comes from a story before the house was built,” Haitz said. “In Ripley, the wood east of Main Street was cut and sold to passing riverboats. The men hired to do this work were paid in silver, which is how the steamboat captains paid for the wood. This was somewhat unusual, because in that part of the 1800s silver was hard to come by.”
Bartering was the “currency” of the day for most trades.
“Hemphill and his wife had four children, his son Joseph was an admiral in the U.S. Navy, his daughter Mary Esther married Albert Kautz who was also an admiral in the U.S. Navy,” Haitz said. “Another daughter, Anna married Eugene Wambaugh, who later was a professor at Harvard Law School.”
Haitz has been researching the house history for present owner Dan Pinger.
“When I was young, the public pool was behind the house. The owners of the house owned the pool. It is still there, but in disrepair,” Haitz said.
Albert and Esther Kautz once owned the house; in 1888 Nickolas Devore bought the home, and in 1906 Frank X. Germann purchased the home.
“It was passed on to his son, Nick. And many years later it was purchased by the Lawerence Griffith family,” he said.
During its life, Silver Point has also been visited by presidents, Ulysses S. Grant and Rutherford B. Hayes, Haitz said.
The public will get a rare opportunity to view the home on March 29, Haitz said.
“The architectural elements are amazing. Every one of the 23 rooms has something amazing to see,” he said.
During the tour there will be information about the history and each of the families related to the house, Haitz said.
“Dan (Pinger) wants the public to see what has been preserved all these years,” Haitz said.
Tours on March 29 will be 2-4 p.m..
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