MILFORD, Ohio — Promont House Museum will open to the public Sunday, Nov. 15, from 1 to 4 p.m., giving visitors another chance to walk through the Italianate mansion that once served as the working office of a sitting Ohio governor.
The Greater Milford Area Historical Society, which operates the museum at 906 Main St., said in a Facebook post that the last tour of the day will leave at 3 p.m. and encouraged visitors to take time to walk the grounds in addition to touring the house. Admission is $8 for adults and $3 for students 13 and older; children 12 and under get in free with a paying adult or member.
Built in 1865, the Italianate home sits on a hill overlooking Milford and the Little Miami River. John M. Pattison, Ohio’s 43rd governor, bought the property in 1879 and lived there with his family until his death in 1906. After falling ill with Bright’s disease shortly after his January 1906 inauguration, Pattison directed state government business from Promont rather than the capital in Columbus, making the Milford home a de facto seat of Ohio government for several months.
The house was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1980. It remained a private residence until 1983, when owner James Kirgan donated it to the Greater Milford Area Historical Society, which has operated it since as a museum featuring Victorian-era furnishings, local history exhibits and a reference library.
The information contained in this story was obtained from the Greater Milford Area Historical Society.