EDITOR’S NOTE: This story was originally published in Heart of Ohio Magazine and is being republished via a cooperative effort with Richland Source. To visit Heart of Ohio Magazine’s website, log on at http://www.heartofohiomagazine.com
On a slight rise just off Stewart Road, a large stone house gazes out over the landscape. The Greek revival style house was built from orange and brown streaked sandstone, markings typical of stone quarried in the Mansfield area. This is the Samuel Lewis House, the largest and best preserved pre-Civil war sandstone house in Richland County.
Samuel Lewis was the first permanent white settler in Worthington Township when he arrived in 1809. Although he did not create the concept of the blockhouse, he is credited with introducing it to the area for protection from troops during the War of 1812 and from the ongoing threat of attack by Native Americans in the area. He erected a blockhouse on his farm for the protection of his fellow settlers.
The following year Lewis cut six miles of road from Mansfield to Ashland out of dense forest and was also one of several men who laid out the town of Mifflin (then known as Petersburg).
In 1835 Samuel purchased the original one and a half story cut sandstone cabin and 159 acres of ground (the entire northeast quarter of section 23 in Madison Township) for $2,000; property owned since 1820 by John C. Price. The great room featured a massive primitive cooking fireplace; a large bedroom with a low, sloping ceiling rested above.
In 1837 Lewis added to the house, creating a front with two rectangular six over six windows on each side of a central entrance. Above the entrance the date of construction is conspicuously carved in the lintel. The entire building has fine natural black walnut woodwork and a floor plan that was unusual in its time. The house sat on what was once a stagecoach road that ran between Mansfield and Wooster. It is rumored that Abraham Lincoln stayed at the house while traveling on the stagecoach road.
From 1851 to 1926 the house was owned by the Stephen Balliet family; over the next forty years the property went through several owners until 1963 when it was purchased by the Angus family. It was the Angus family who applied to have the house put on the National Register of Historic Places.
After being surveyed and inspected the house and its remaining 10 acres was listed as the Samuel Lewis House; noted as being significant during the time period of 1825-1849. In 1992 the property was sold to Jeffrey Hecht.
Bruce and Karen Beck are the only owners who have held title to the historic stone house twice. First from 1996 to 2001, when they added a two story addition to separate family living quarters from guest rooms and opened the home as a bed and breakfast; then in 2010 when they purchased the house once again and made it a Bed and Breakfast before serving their last meal there on Dec. 31, 2014. According to their Facebook page, the couple closed the business and moved to France.
Jake and Christina Simpkins are the new owners of the property and are living there in a private residence.
