Side A: Thomas Jefferson was president when the original two-story Federal-style brick building was built in 1807. The house is located on the east half of in-lot 123, a part of Franklinton since its beginning. Surveyed by Nathanial Massie on October 28, 1796, the lot was part of Virginia Military District entry #1393, comprising 1,000 acres on the west fork of the Scioto River. Captain Robert Vance, a veteran of Virginia Continental Line during the Revolution, claimed the land. Lucas Sullivant, the founder of Franklinton, acquired it from Vance. The acreage was a part of the 1797 plat of Franklinton, recorded by Sullivant in 1802 at the Ross County Courthouse in Chillicothe. Franklinton became Franklin County’s first seat in 1803 and preceded the founding of Columbus by 15 years. In its early years, Franklinton’s nearest neighbors were the Wyndat and Haudenosaunee people. (Continued on other side)
Side B: (Continued from other side) Colonel Robert Culbertson, a wealthy landowner and veteran of the Pennsylvania Line, acquired in-lot 123 in 1804. Culbertson and wife Elizabeth owned the house when Franklinton boomed as headquarters of the Army of the Northwest under General William Henry Harrison during the War of 1812. The house was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1972. In 1973, the home’s owner announced plans to sell the landmark for demolition to build a gas station. Noting that Harrison may have used the house as his headquarters, the community mounted an effort to save it. Spearheaded by Councilwoman Fran Ryan, the Columbus Society for the Preservation of the Harrison House purchased the building in 1975. It was sold to the City of Columbus in 1980 and underwent renovation, supported by a federal grant and a donation from the Columbus Landmarks Foundation.
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