On the corner of 4th and Waller, on the northwest side of the street, in Portsmouth Ohio, stands a house that cannot be missed. Its unique frame and subtle yet brilliant color scheme demand attention. Going to the local county records office and visiting the county auditors website allowed me to see who owned the house currently, who owned it in the past, what year it was built and what additions have been made since its construction. Researching the house revealed the great history of the property, and gave some insight into the history of the surrounding neighborhood as well.
Working my way backwards through deed and mortgage ownership through the county records, I was able to determine that the house has gone through 13 owners since it was built in the 1890s. Now, the land on which the property now sits was once part of a larger, 6.7 acre, tract of land owned by William Waller, who surveyed it November 28, 1834. The land was then sold to John Terry on September 10, 1841. Approximately how long it remained in his possession I could not say, but on April 30, 1892, the land was incorporated into the city of Portsmouth. The land was plated by Susan Terry, assumedly the late John Terry’s widow or perhaps his daughter, who named the land, the John P. Terry addition. The land stretched from the north side of 4th Street two blocks up to Gallia Street and going east stretched 192 feet from the east side of Waller Street. The lot on which 1209 4th Street stands is at the extreme bottom left of the plat. The house occupies lot number 17 and the west side of lot 16. Today, the east part of lot 16 is owned by Portsmouth City School, who bought it in 2004 to make room for the new middle school. The lots on which the property stand measure 67.5 feet side to side and 135 feet front to back.
Pinpointing when exactly the house was built was a bit of a challenge. Using strictly deed and mortgage records, I was able to determine that the house was built somewhere between June 15th, 1897, when the property was sold to a Marry Terry, and February 15, 1902 when the first mortgage was taken out by William H. Burt. William owned the property until 1921 and assuming he did not take out a mortgage to sit on a property for 20 years we can assume the house was either built by him or Mary Terry. It was most likely not built by Susan Terry who maintained a home on the north side of the addition between Gallia Street and 5th. Now the auditor’s website claims the house was built in 1900. It’s a nice round figure and is probably close, but their records might be a little unreliable. My childhood home was listed as being built in 1900 and I know for a fact that my grandma was old enough to see it built and she was born in 1916.
Another indicator of when the house was built would be the architectural style in which it was designed. Using the Northern Arizona University’s architectural style website, I was able to compare some of the details of the house with the styles shown on the website. The house is two stories high and has a basement. It is essentially in the shape of a square. The roof has a large overhang, also the porch stretches the width of the house and the entrance stairs are very wide. These are details most commonly found on an American Four Square. This style was popular on homes built between 1895 and 1930, which would almost certainly fit the construction time-frame. I also believe that the house exhibits some characteristics of the Italianate/ Italian Villa style. It has overhanging eaves with decorative brackets underneath. It also has long narrow windows. This was a popular style between 1850 and 1890 and dominated expanding towns of the American Midwest.
Based on this information I would conclude that the house was built around 1900, give or take two or three years. It has been around many years in Portsmouth, all the way up to its current owners the Shanks, who bought it in 1998 for $54,000. It has facilitated many families through the years and has seen them through much devastation including the 1937 flood, the 1997 flood, and the 2003 ice storm. This just goes to show that there is no substitute for a good house.
