Adena, home of Thomas Worthington

Thomas Worthington was one of Ohio's founding fathers. His sprawling estate in Chillicothe, named Adena, has been meticulously preserved. It is one of those rare finds in history where it has not been much outside the hands of the original family (see right, click to enlarge).

Beautifully built in stone, the home has two levels and two sides to it. Worthington had it built between 1806 and 1807 on 2000 acres on high ground overlooking Chillicothe, Ohio.

As many up and coming, young wealthy Virginians would do, southern Ohio became the destination where vast tracts of land could be attained, purchased or even horn-swaggled. A great deal of what is today Ross County (history, government) was under the control of Worthington in the early 1800s.

A wonderful little museum welcomes you to the grounds before taking off on a tour of the mansion house. A large display (see left, click to enlarge) shows the vast acreage of what could be called a plantation in Ohio, just minus the slave labor.

The main entrance that greets the visitor has many furniture pieces crafted on site for the Worthington family. The vibrant floor is a painted cloth that has been waxed over many times to give the appearance of what today would be vinyl flooring (see left, click to enlarge). The use of bright colors throughout the home would be a definitive sign of wealth in the early 1800s.

One of the very unique features of this house are windows where the bottoms swing out like a door. With the window up and the bottom swung out, it created a doorway to other areas. The servants room (right) shows this feature. Perhaps the creativity of these windows is more about the bottom line than architectural curiosity. Taxes were levied in houses at the time on the number of doors a house contained. The argument would be that these were windows and not doors, thus lowering the overall tax burden. (see right, click to enlarge)




Unusual at the time was a kitchen built in or on to the house (see left, click to enlarge). With cooking over an open hearth, it was quite easy to start a fire inside the house and burn the property to the ground. Benjamin Latrobe, the famous architect who would go on to design the U.S. Capitol, built Worthington's house and designed this kitchen off-set, but adjoined to the house with a brick walls separating it from the main house. A unique way to lessen the danger of fire.

One of the creative ways to create a canopy
bed was on display in one of the girl's bedrooms.
Rather than a four-poster canopy, a change was
hung from the middle of the room to create the
similar effect. Recall that in the 1800s "air-conditioning"
was opening the window. Screening not yet in fashion,
the canopy that would be spread about the bed would
be useful way to minimize bugs. (see left, click to enlarge)




But perhaps one of Adena's most impressive displays is the garden works (see left, click to enlarge). Nearly attached to the house, Worthington's personal study would look out over the grounds. A contemporary, and admirer, of Thomas Jefferson, Worthington looked to emulate him in many ways. The garden has been very well tended and through the old, leaded glass of the mansion house it is easy to imagine a different time and place while touring the house.

It is also from the grounds that you can wander to the edge of the plateau and look out over the Paint Creek and Scioto River towards the distant hills, steep and wooded. A historical marker notes the location where it is said that Worthington, et al, looked towards Mount Logan just over the Scioto River and it was the inspiration for the Great Seal of Ohio. Standing at this spot, I took a picture of the marker, the view of Mount Logan today (2008) and superimposed, then faded the Great Seal of Ohio atop it for comparison. (see above/right, click to enlarge)

There is much to do in Central Ohio, making Adena a worthwhile stop of an hour or two along your journey through the state. Consider an over-nighter in Chillicothe during the summer to take in the historical drama, Tecumseh! at the outdoor amphitheater on the outskirts of town. While a little fast and loose with the actual history, the drama is realistic and the outdoor setting fabulous.

- J.