Built in 1804, the Betts
House is the oldest
residential structure in the downtown Cincinnati area. In its early
years, the house was the hub of activity on a busy, 111 - acre working
farm. Back then Central Avenue was a quiet lane leading into the Bett's
peach orchard, and the western plain of the Cincinnati basin was a
seemingly vast stretch of
grassy undeveloped land which residents of the day called "Texas."
Born in Rahway, New Jersey, William Betts began his
westward journey in 1795. Betts and his family settled in Brownsville,
Pennsylvania, but soon pressed on, travelling down the Ohio by flatboat
in 1800 to the newly founded Cincinnati. Betts went into brick making
- by all accounts quite successfully. He acquired the West End parcel
as
repayment of a debt owed him by Joel Williams, a local tavern keeper,
and
commenced building a farm house. Construction was finished in time for
the birth of his ninth son in 1804.
Over the years nearly four generations of Betts'
descendents lived in the brick house, and over two dozen children were
raised within its walls. To accomodate the prolific Betts brood, the
two-story rectangular structure was augmented by a number of new rooms,
more than doubling its original size. When the 1811 earthquake rocked
the Ohio Valley, an early kitchen addition was damaged beyond repair.
The main house evidently weathered the quake without notable structural
harm.
In the early part of the nineteenth century,
the city steadily grew and changed. The little lane into the peach
orchard became Western Row, and Isaac Betts, William's youngest son,
often recounted seeing St. Claire's army marching by.
Cincinnati grew at a clip equal to the Betts
family. Suddenly the city seemed to be at the doorstep of the once
rural farm. Several Betts family members built houses on the
farm, but it was not subdivided until 1833. By 1855, nearly every lot
was developed. Population in the West End soared. In 1855 there were
30,000 residents per square
mile, the highest density in the nation. A tremendous number of
European
immigrants and African Americans competed with the predominantly
mercantile
class residents for living space. As conditions grew more and more
crowded,
the more affluent residents flocked to the prosperous hilltop suburbs
made
newly accessible by inclines and rapid transit.
By the 1870s, the once vital neighborhood had begun
its decline. Industry started to move on, leaving an over-crowded
neighborhood populated by those who could not afford to live elsewhere,
or chose not to. As bleak as it was, things grew worse. The
neighborhood was cut off from the rest of the city with the
construction of Ezzard Charles Drive to Union Terminal and Interstate
75. By 1968 the district was virtually a ghost town. Only 1200
residents remained, and many the area's fine homes fell into ruin.
The city began revitalization efforts in 1980. In
1988 a partnership of concerned citizens (initiated by Martha Tuttle,
William Betts' great-great-granddaughter, purchased the Betts
house and undertook an extensive renovation. The Betts House
participated in the
1990
ASID Designer's Show House project, held in the Betts-Longworth
Historic
District, to display the partnership's success. Preserving the
past is a long-term committment for the partners.
One of the partners, the National Society of
Colonial Dames in the State of Ohio, is the owner
of the property, which leases it to the Betts House Research Center, an
independent organization with its own board of trustees drawn from the
community.
In 2004 the Betts House received a historic marker from the Ohio
Historical Society. The marker text can be found at the Ohio
Channel website.
Visit the Betts
House Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, 11 am - 2 pm.
Other days and times are available by appointment.
The Betts House is closed on federal holidays and during the month of
August.
Please call (513) 651-0734 or email BettsHouseRC@fuse.net
