Westerville in Franklin County, Ohio — The American Midwest (Great Lakes)
Temperance Row Historic District
The Anti-Saloon League of America
| | Otterbein College | |
Photographed by Rev. Ronald Irick, April 21, 2016
1. Temperance Row Historic District Marker
Side A
Here lived the reformers of the Anti-Saloon League of America who led the movement that turned the United States "dry" in 1920 with the 18th Amendment prohibiting the manufacture, sale or transportation of intoxicating liquor. Moving its headquarters to Westerville in 1909, the League built a publishing house that buried the liquor industry in a 10-year avalanche of books, pamphlets and periodicals that helped win Prohibition and made Westerville the "Dry Capital of the World." Rev. Purley A. Baker (1858-1924), the League's general superintendent, bought 11 acres and erected his rustic home at Park and Grove streets in 1910.
League founder Howard Hyde Russell (1855-1946) built next door, a house later owned by Ernest H. Cherrington (1877-1950), general manager and chief of publications. These and four more houses along Grove Street were dubbed "Temperance Row." The assemblage of mostly Craftsman-style houses grew during the 1910s into a park-like enclave of 27 homes and a row house built or occupied by League leaders and workers. Prohibition ended in 1933 with repeal of the 18th Amendment. Temperance Row is listed on the National Register of Historic Places for its national, state and local significance.
Erected 2010 by Westerville Historical Society Rotary Clubs of Westerville
this page online
Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Charity & Public Work • Government & Politics. In addition, it is included in the Ohio Historical Society / The Ohio History Connection, and the Rotary International series lists.
Location. 40° 7.454′ N, 82° 56.131′ W. Marker is in Westerville, Ohio, in Franklin County. It is on South Grove near West Park Street, on the right when traveling south. marker is on the front lawn of the Howard House, on the campus of Otterbein College. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 131 W Park St, Westerville OH 43081, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in the Scioto Valley and in the Columbus Metropolitan Area. It is also in the American Midwest and in the Corn Belt. Globally, it is in North America, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once the Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) Confederacy, the territory of the Mississippian Culture, and the Northwest Territory.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: "Greendale" (within shouting distance of this marker); Civil War (about 400 feet away); Reverend Bishop William Hanby / Benjamin Hanby, Class of 1858 (about 400 feet away); Towers Hall (about 500 feet away); United Brethren Church (about 700 feet away); Otterbein College (about 700 feet away); The Home of Benjamin R. Hanby (approx. 0.2 miles away); First Presbyterian Church (approx. 0.2 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Westerville.
Another marker is no longer nearby. In Memory of Benjamin R. Hanby (was about 300 feet
Photographed by Rev. Ronald Irick, April 21, 2016
2. Temperance Row Historic District Marker
Side B
Photographed by Rev. Ronald Irick, April 21, 2016
3. Temperance Row Historic District Marker
Photographed by Rev. Ronald Irick, April 21, 2016
4. Temperance Row Historic District Marker
Roush Hall in the background, across Park Street.
Photographed by Rev. Ronald Irick, April 21, 2016
5. Temperance Row Historic District Marker
These markers are located all over the neighborhood. This one is directly across from Otterbein Cemetery.
Credits. This page was last revised on October 31, 2025. It was originally submitted on April 23, 2016, by Rev. Ronald Irick of West Liberty, Ohio. This page has been viewed 1,044 times since then and 38 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5. submitted on April 23, 2016, by Rev. Ronald Irick of West Liberty, Ohio. • Bill Pfingsten was the editor who published this page.
