Parks & Recreation

Historic Hunt House

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In late 2003, the City of Blue Ash purchased the historic Hunt Home at 4364 Hunt Road. The home is one of Blue Ash’s oldest residential structures and was owned by the descendants of one of Blue Ash’s founding families: the Hunt Family. The City’s purpose in purchasing the home is to ensure its future preservation and to provide a “home” for a future history museum. 

In the fall of 2006, the home was opened to the public for the first time, featuring the recent renovation of the home’s first floor to the 1890s era. In 2021, renovations were completed to repair damage from wood-boring beetles.  

The home is open during scheduled periods for tours, etc. throughout the year. You can see upcoming Open House events on the calendar here. Call (513) 745-8550 with questions. Visit the Blue Ash Historical Society's website to see the latest Historical Society Newsletter and for information on activities.


HUNT HOUSE HISTORY 

John Craig Hunt, the sixth child of Issac and Hannah Hunt, was born and raised in a log cabin on the Hunt Farm in Blue Ash. John Craig built a home and remained on the Hunt Farm. In 1839, he married Elizabeth Bowen. They had seven children: Lillis, Rachel M., an infant son who died, Miranda, Margaret, Hannah, and Wilson.

Family records indicate the original house burned and was replaced by the present house. Construction began in 1858 and was completed in 1861. The house was owned by four generations of Hunts until the City of Blue Ash purchased it in 2003. 

The Hunt House originally sat on 1,000 acres of land. The house is a transitional federal/Greek revival design which was unusual for this area at that time. The lumber used was either clear white pine or black walnut. The doors of black walnut had a cross pattern paneling. Most of the glass in the 12-pane windows is original. The windows were the first in the countryside to utilize iron weights, and people came from all around to work the windows. Brick for the building came from clay on the farm, and huge, old trees on the property provided the lumber. It is believed that John Craig Hunt was a merchant and businessman. Later Hunt generations used the land to farm and make their living. 

An interesting historic note regarding the Hunt Home relates to the fact that it was a part of the historic Morgan’s Raid associated with the Civil War. In 1863, the home (and nearby barn), along with others in Blue Ash, was raided by Confederate General John Hunt Morgan. In the early morning hours of July 14, 1863, the Hunt Family lost some of their horses to Morgan’s troops who were foraging for food and fresh horses. When Morgan’s Raiders came through Hamilton County, young Wilson Hunt, about 10 years old, was standing in an upstairs window of the house and watched as the raiders took horses from the Hunt barn. 

According to family stories, Wilson asked his father what he was going to do about it. “There’s not much that I can do. You can’t stop an army,” responded John Craig Hunt. The Hunts lost 10 horses to the raiders during that infamous raid. Morgan’s Raid was historically significant since it was the longest raid of the Civil War period and it also represented the raid that came the farthest north in the country by Confederate forces. 

For more information on the history of Blue Ash, click here.


Click the video above to view a documentary about the Hunt House by History in Your Own Backyard.