The Anderson House

The Anderson House. The Historic National Road in Ohio. In 1837, when the National Road was completed through Madison County, the village of Lafayette was platted by William Minter, and this building was a tavern that served travelers. The Red Brick Tavern, which was built after the Anderson House, was located one quarter mile east. Both taverns were built by Stanley Watson, a Minter family son-in-law, who operated the Red Brick Tavern. As traffic increased along the National Road, 8 to 10 stage coaches, plus drovers herds, and various other travelers passed through Lafayette daily. There were four taverns in Lafayette to serve them.

The Federal-style house, with its later Greek Revival-style porch, had four chimneys and eight fireplaces. On the first floor, the two rooms on the front and back of the west side (on the left side of the front door) had an opening eight feet wide. With the doors open, they were used as a large dining room. The east side rooms had a separate entrance, and were used as a bar-room. The third floor was a large dormitory which had no heat. In the 1920’s the house was converted to a tourist house.

In its nearly 200 years, this building has served as a tavern. a farmhouse, and a tourist house. The house was built around 1830 for Calvin Anderson. In 1848, the tavern was sold R.G. and P.W. Morris, who sold it n 1850 to Valentine Wilson. The 408-acre property was then operated for 40 years as Oak Grove Farm by Wilson’s son Hamilton. The Wilson farm was illustrated in the 1875 atlas of Madison County. In 1895, John Thompson bought it and, upon his death in 1909, willed it to his housekeeper, Elizabeth Stone. She sold it that year to Herbert and Pearle Harper. They built the large barn for their herd of registered Hereford cattle. In 1925, Mrs. Harper began using the farmhouse as a tourist home, calling it “Terrace Lawn”. In 1976, after the Harpers died, the farm, consisting then of 184 acres, was sold at public auction to Kelso and Judith Wessel. The Wessels continued restoration and renovation of the Anderson House.