Welcome to the Belmont County Explore More GeoTour! Embark on a journey that will take you across the beautiful and scenic landscapes of Belmont County, Ohio, USA, where a total of 25 unique treasures and historic landmarks await to be found. Find them all and earn an official Explore More GeoTour tee shirt.
Located near the sign. Please sign log book and place back where found. You will need a pen.
The Victorian Mansion Museum construction began in 1888 and was completed in 1893. It was designed in the Romanesque style. The house stayed in the possession of private families until the 1960s. The house had sat vacant for several years and plans were made to raize the structure to make way for a gas station. The house was purchased by John Bradfield and Everett Hanlon for $10,000 and was turned over to the Belmont County Historical Society. A gazebo was added to the property in the 90’s and is a popular place for many weddings.
An elegant porch wraps around the entire length of the mansion. The porch contains a wooden plank floor with sandstone pillars. The porch is supported by four Ionic columns with an entablature and dentil molding. The entrance is framed by a fan light and side lights with a large white solid wood door.
The house contains 26 rooms decorated in the Victorian era designs. Beautiful oak fretwork welcomes visitors to the entrance parlor. The eye is instantly drawn to the hand-carved griffin found in the woodworking to the bottom right. The dining room is located to the right of the entrance with two parlors to the left. The great hall runs past the fretwork and contains an inglenook known as a “Courting Fireplace” with cast-iron firebox.
A large oak stairway leads to the upper floors. Off the landing is the growlery, where the men would go after dinner to discuss the issues of the day. The second floor contains 5 bedrooms, two dressing rooms and two bathrooms. The bathrooms are decorated in 22K gold trim, mirroring the bathroom below it, which is decorated with 22K gold and ruby marble. The bathrooms are fed water from a 540-US-gallon (2,000 L) tank on the third floor, used as for storage or other amenities. The backstairs lead down to the first floor.
The kitchen with its original soapstone sink and coal stove is located to your left, with the butlers pantry just beyond containing the original copper sink and the household china. The cabinetwork in these rooms are all northern pine, a tree now extinct. The basement can be reached by another flight of stairs and contains tools and utensils throughout the history of house, many of which were used in the building of the mansion. One of the oddities is a child-sized coffin set as a reminder of the high mortality rate during child-birthing in the 1800s.