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Oak Hill was built by John Robinson in 1847 on a hill overlooking
the town, then a few thousand population, and close by the railroad
he had helped to build.
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This
Gothic Revival house has been the focal
point of the view to the north from the center of town ever
since. Although encroached upon by the city, the elevation and
orientation of the house projects a vision of a nearly forgotten
era across the intervening industrialized valley.
Robinson was Superintendent of the newly built
Sandusky, Mansfield, and Newark Railroad. His choice to build in
the Gothic Revival style reflected his sophistication in the
latest trends in architecture. John Sherman, future senator and
author of the Sherman Anti-trust Act, also built his first home
of similar style and grandeur in the same year. Its fate was to
be turned into apartments in later years and torn down in the
1960s.
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Robinson and his family lived at Oak Hill until
1861, and five of his twelve children were born here. In the
late 1850's, Dr. Johannes Aten Jones, an eye, ear and nose
specialist, advertised that he was coming to this area to treat
patients. One of his patients was Amanda Barr. Dr. Jones fell in
love with Amanda's sister Frances Ida and they were married in
1861. She was 17 and he was 31.
In 1864 Frances persuaded Dr. Jones to buy Oak
Hill for her. When Dr. Jones bought the house he replaced all of
the fireplace surrounds and the mantel shelves with the ones
that presently are in the house. They are Italian marble. Only
the two in the parlor are the same, the other five are different
from these and each other. |
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The dining room was added to the original structure
by Dr. Jones. On the marble mantle in the dining room there is a letter
"J" carved into it. He also imported the beautiful framed mirrors
from France. Natural gas service was available in 1864 and Dr. Jones
had the service brought to Oak Hill to use for lighting and heating.
All but four of the chandeliers in the house are original. They were
taken down during the restoration and refurbished and wired for
electricity. Dr. Jones installed gas burners in the fireplaces to
provide heat. Furnaces were installed prior to 1896 with ductwork to
the first floor only.
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The furniture in the house was purchased by the Jones
family. We have most of the original bills of purchase and can
identify most of the pieces. Most of it was purchased in New York
City and brought to Mansfield by train. While the architectural
style of the house, inside and out, is of an earlier
age, it's interior furnishings are of the highest order of Victorian
extravagance.
The property was divided and sold in 1923 after the
eldest daughter, Ida, died. Leile, one of the Jones' daughters,
continued to live in the house amongst it's furnishings of bygone
days until she sold the house and its contents to the Richland
County Historical Society in 1965. It was always her hope that one
day her family home would be restored to its original splendor.
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