Walter Curtis House
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Walter Curtis House | |
 Front of the house | |
   | |
| Nearest city | Little Hocking, Ohio |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 39°13′17″N 81°42′39″W / 39.22139°N 81.71083°W |
| Area | less than 1 acre (0.40 ha) |
| Built | 1827 |
| Architectural style | Greek Revival |
| NRHP reference No. | 80003244[1] |
| Added to NRHP | October 3, 1980 |
The Walter Curtis House is a historic residence in far southern Washington County, Ohio, United States. Located south of Little Hocking,[1] a community in southern Belpre Township,[2] the house is a two-story structure constructed in 1827.[3] Built of brick with elements of stone,[4] it was the home of local politician Walter Curtis. During the nineteenth century, Curtis held such offices as Washington County Commissioner, associate judge, and Ohio state representative; his son Austin was later also elected to the Ohio House of Representatives.[3]
Born in 1787,[3] Walter and his family moved to Ohio in 1791 from Warren, Connecticut. After the family lived in Marietta for a time, the end of the Northwest Indian War prompted them to establish a farm southwest of Marietta in 1795. On this land,[5]: 81 which he had purchased from land speculators in the previous year,[5]: 80 Walter's father Ebenezer constructed a substantial two-story log house, which was seen as superior to all other houses in the surrounding area at the time of its completion. Walter acquired the entire farm after his father's death, buying the property that had been left to the other heirs and purchasing adjacent land from other owners.[5]: 81 Here, he constructed the present Greek Revival house from bricks laid in common bond with a gabled roof. As the years passed, Curtis established himself in local society, both as a legislator and as a leading participant in the commerce of the nearby Ohio River.[3] Along with his brother Horace, he operated a business that transported freight by keelboat between river ports such as Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Charleston, Virginia, and Cincinnati, Ohio.[5]: 81
