THE ADENA MANSION
of Thomas Worthington, circa
1807, Chillicothe, OH


Adena was the 2,000 acre estate of Thomas Worthington (1773-1827), sixth governor of Ohio and one of the state's first US senators.  The mansion house shown above was completed in 1807--three years after Ohio became the 17th state.

The architect of the home was considered the first professional architect in the nation and served as architect of the US capitol under President Thomas Jefferson.  The mansion sits on the 300 remaining acres of the original homeplace along with a restored tenant house, barn, spring house, smoke house and wash house.

It is hard to imagine the grandeur of the governor's lifestyle--obvious in a mansion tour--all being accomplished without indoor plumbing.  Visitors may stroll through the garden adjacent to the house with its three terraces of flowers and vegetables.

The view from the mansion's north lawn features the Logan Range of mountains, thought to have inspired the design of Ohio's Seal; now disputed by some historians as mentioned in a previous blog story.

The site also features a modern museum and education center with interactive exhibits to give visitors a picture of life in Ohio in the early 1800s.

Occasionally, Worthington would accompany a shipment of his farm's commodities to New Orleans for sale.  Boats could navigate the Scioto to the Ohio River then down the Mississippi River where the boats would be dismantled and sold, the lumber often being used for home construction in that growing seaport town.

Worthington then would travel by ship to the East coast then home by horseback.

A tour guide explains the operation of the mansion's kitchen; all cooking accomplished without modern conveniences.  She drew gasps from her audience when she explained how servants felt inside the oven to insure it had reached the proper temperature.