“It looked shabby,” said Helen Sproat, the local historical society’s secretary. “It didn’t look inviting.”
Lacking title, Griffis had to pay Jonathan Wright, owner of most the land comprising the oldest section of Springboro, $300 for legal right to the lot the house occupied.
“We call this the squatter’s house,” Sproat said.
Today it’s owned by the city and maintained by the society. Earlier this year, the society began the remodeling project.
“To all intents and purposes, we gutted the place,” Sproat said. New floors, ceilings and track lighting were added.
Founded in 1815, the town of Springboro became a city in 1987. Today’s it’s one of the most affluent communities in the state with a brand-new city hall, new school buildings and numerous modern neighborhoods.
In the museum, a pre-Civil War spinning wheel dominates a textiles room where a bureau scarf made by a quilt-maker and seamstress named Letitia Heston in 1821, 11 years before she moved to Springboro; and a wool blanket made in one of Wright’s mills, are on display.
Other displays track other periods in the city’s history, including its role in the Underground Railroad, through time lines, photographs and a quilt put together by local students.
“It’s their town,” Sproat said. “It’s good for people to understand the heritage of the town they live in. They have a lot to be proud of.”
Through December, the museum is open 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., Fridays and Saturdays. Special showings can be arranged by calling (937) 748-1053 or (937) 748-0916. The museum is closed during January and February.
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