Landmarks Of Delaware County: The Diadatus Keeler House
By 1808Delaware
History records that Diadatus James Keeler, in addition to having a unique name, was an “enterprising man.”
Such a claim is borne out by the fact that after arriving from Vermont in 1819, he became an important farmer in Genoa Township and a recognized breeder of sheep and hogs.
Specifically, those would be fine-wooled sheep and China and Berkshire breeds of hogs.
Keeler was also one of the original elders of the Genoa Presbyterian Church
Shortly after he arrived in Delaware County with his first wife, Orilla, Keeler had this house built. The usual date given for its construction is 1833, making it a very early example of Ohio fine vernacular architecture.
The house, which sits at 4567 Red Bank Road, was then purchased by the Rhoads family in 1867. The land on which it sits grew to 169 acres by the 1960s.
The one-and-a-half-story, braced frame house features a grand entry hall with tiger maple wainscoting and a tiger maple large staircase. The staircase is considered exceptional and is not typical of Ohio houses of that time period.
According to one source, the house also has “original black walnut cabinetry and ash floors offset the first floor main living areas.”
Fortunately, this is one Landmark of Delaware County which you can — at least at present — visit via photograph. A recent listing has 62 images of the exterior and interior of the Diadatus Keeler House.
The house was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1979.
Sources: Galena Monuments Guide; 1880 History of Delaware County; Ohio Historic Places; Find-a-Grave – Photo: Creative Commons License
