Waverly in Pike County, Ohio — The American Midwest (Great Lakes)
Historic Emmitt House
1861–2014
Photographed By J. J. Prats, April 16, 2019
1. Historic Emmitt House Marker
On this site stood the famous landmark hotel and restaurant—the Emmitt House—built in 1861 during the Civil War by the honorable James Emmitt, banker and a leading Southern Ohio entrepreneur, to take advantage of trade on the Ohio Erie Canal running along Emmitt Avenue (Rt. 23) directly across the street. He and a succession of financial partners operated a fleet of canal boats, a large distillery, flour and woolen mills, and numerous smaller manufacturing concerns.
When finished, the Emmitt House quickly gained a reputation as one of the Scioto Valley’s finest hotels and was a center for hardware and dry goods salesmen, who would open their sample cases in a front room set aside as the “Drummers Room.”
On January 6, 2014, the 152-year-old Emmitt House, listed on the the National Register of Historical Places, fell victim to the ravages of fire, fought through the night in frigid wintry conditions by Waverly and area firefighters.
Erected by friends of the Emmitt House.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Industry & Commerce • Notable Buildings. A significant historical date for this entry is January 6, 2014.
Location. 39° 7.596′ N, 82° 59.107′ W. Marker is in Waverly, Ohio, in Pike County. Marker
this page online
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. Pike County Courthouse (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); War Savings Stamps (about 300 feet away); German Evangelical Church / Pike Heritage Foundation Museum (about 400 feet away); Waverly Fire Bell (about 700 feet away); Canal Park (approx. 0.2 miles away); Pike County Twentieth-Century War Memorial (approx. 0.2 miles away); Pike County Revolutionary Soldiers (approx. 0.2 miles away); Pike County Civil War Memorial (approx. 0.2 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Waverly.
More about this marker. This local marker replaced State Marker No. 4-66, placed at the corner of Market and Emmitt Streets in 2000, titled “The Emmitt House” on one side and “James Emmitt (1806–1893)” on the other. That marker may have been destroyed when the hotel burned. You will find its entry here: Emmitt House.
Also see . . . The Emmitt House (Burned down). Roadtrippers website entry (Submitted on March 17, 2022, by Larry Gertner of New York, New York.)
Photographed By J. J. Prats, April 16, 2019
2. Historic Emmitt House Lot and Marker
Ford trucks for sale are parked on the lot where the hotel once stood.
By Nyttend via Wikipedia Commons, October 23, 2012
3. Emmitt House Market Street Façade
Front of the former Emmitt House Hotel, located on the southern corner of the junction of Emmitt Avenue (U.S. Route 23/State Routes 104/335) and Market Street (State Route 220) in downtown Waverly, Ohio, United States. Built in 1861, it is part of the Waverly Canal Historic District, a historic district that is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The hotel was destroyed by fire on the night of 6-7 January 2014.
Photographed By Craig Doda, June 24, 2022
4. Historic Emmitt House Marker
Credits. This page was last revised on July 9, 2022. It was originally submitted on April 18, 2019, by J. J. Prats of Powell, Ohio. This page has been viewed 1,289 times since then and 130 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on April 18, 2019, by J. J. Prats of Powell, Ohio. 4. submitted on July 3, 2022, by Craig Doda of Napoleon, Ohio.
Editor’s want-list for this marker. Photos of the state marker as it stood (on its own page) • photos of the hotel • photo of the James Emmitt home • Can you help?
