Orange Johnson House

Orange Johnson House Museum

The oldest restored house in Franklin County, the Orange Johnson House illustrates the austerities of the pioneer period and the more prosperous lifestyle of later inhabitants.

Operated by the Worthington Historical Society, the Orange Johnson House offers visitors a unique opportunity to view a house museum illustrating two periods of Ohio History.

Built by Arora Buttles in 1811, on 35 acres of farmland, the oldest part of the building features six rooms, including a low-ceilinged keeping room and a kitchen with its original open fireplace. Buttles was a brick mason and several buildings in the historic district of Worthington have been attributed to his masonry.

In 1816, Buttles sold the property to Orange Johnson who added a Federal-style wing facing the Sandusky-Columbus Turnpike, which is now called State Route 23 or High Street where it traverses Worthington and Columbus. When he first arrived in Worthington, Johnson plied his trade as a hornsmith, but soon became a contractor, turnpike commissioner, and stockholder.