Harriet Beecher Stowe House (Cincinnati, Ohio)

Stowe, Harriet Beecher, House
Location: Cincinnati, Ohio
Built: 1832
Governing body: State
NRHP Reference#: 70000497 [1]
Added to NRHP: November 10, 1970

The Harriet Beecher Stowe House is a historic home in Ohio which was once the residence of influential antislavery author Harriet Beecher Stowe (1811-1896), writer of Uncle Tom's Cabin.

Contents

History

In 1832, the Stowe family moved from Litchfield, Connecticut to Cincinnati, which was an area active in the abolitionist movement, where her father became the first president of Lane Theological Seminary founded in 1830. Rev. Lyman Beecher (October 12, 1775 - January 10, 1865) was a Congregationalist minister who accepted an offer to teach at the Lane Seminary in Walnut Hills area of Cincinnati.

The house was part of the former Lane Seminary. It was completed in 1833 to house the president of seminary. The house was provided by the seminary to the Beechers. Harriet and most of her brothers and sisters (11 Beecher children lived to adulthood) lived with their father in this house.

Harriet lived here for various periods of time from 1833 until her marriage to professor Calvin Ellis Stowe in 1836. Her first two children, twins Eliza and Harriet, were born in the house in 1836. It is open to the public, located in small park, and operated as an historical and cultural site, focusing on Harriet Beecher Stowe, the Lane Seminary, abolitionists, and the Underground Railroad. The site also presents African-American history.

Harriet's brother, Henry Ward Beecher, also resided in the Cincinnati Beecher House. He was recently the subject of a Pulitzer-prize winning biography entitled The Most Famous Man in America, written by Debby Applegate. Rev. Henry Ward Beecher was an early leader in the women's suffrage movement and popular Protestant minister.

The Beechers and Stowes were some of the most well-known families of the 19th century and were involved in important social movements of their day. They authored dozens of books on topics ranging from Harriet's works of fiction, managing a household, and preparing for the ministry.

The house today

The Harriet Beecher Stowe House in Cincinnati is owned by the Ohio Historical Society. It is located in the Walnut Hills neighborhood (Dana or Taft Road exits from Interstate 71) at 2950 Gilbert Avenue, Cincinnati, OH 45206 and is operated by volunteers with the Friends of the Harriet Beecher Stowe House, Inc. [1]

See also

References

External links