If the walls of the cabin that sits on the edge of campus could talk, Ohio University might know more about the building that’s almost as old as the campus itself.
Today, the Bingham House is occupied on the first floor by a visitors and parking office, and the Office of Sustainability is housed on the floor above.
As soon as visitors walk inside, they are greeted by a rustic atmosphere, antique furniture and cabinets, and an old-fashioned fireplace. A small, steep staircase winds up one side of the building to the Office of Sustainability on the second floor.
The history of the building and the stories of previous inhabitants are not so well known.
The building is believed to have been built around 1805 by Silas Bingham, one of Athens’ original settlers. It originally sat on College Street, according to documents in the university’s Mahn Center for Archives and Special Collections.
During its time there, it is rumored to have served as one of the first courthouses in Athens, though this is unverifiable from university documents.
This theory comes from an early 1800s record of a meeting of Athens government officials that stated that the group met at “Bingham’s” to conduct courthouse business.
While the current Bingham House could possibly be what they were referring to, Silas Bingham also owned several other properties throughout Athens, and the record does not specify at which of them they decided to gather.
Another unclear theory is that Robert G. Wilson, OU’s third president, lived there for a time along with his family and John Newton Templeton, the university’s first black graduate.
While it is true that Templeton resided with Wilson during his time at OU, there isn’t conclusive evidence that they lived in the Bingham House.
Sometime in the 1840s, the house was moved from its original location on College Street to a new location on East State Street, where it remained for years serving as a student rental residence.
In 1983, after being partially renovated by its then-owner, a fire damaged the house, causing it to be slated for demolition.
Local residents were outraged and worked to preserve and restore the Bingham House, according to a 1988 visitor’s guide.
“With support from the local media, the community effort to save the Bingham House grew to include public school and university students, private individuals and organization, banks and businesses, the Charles G. O’Bleness Trust, Ohio University personnel and the Athens County Commissioners,” according to the guide.
The Charles G. O’Bleness Foundation donated $75,000; local individuals, businesses and Athens county commissioners raised $16,000; and OU paid the approximate $24,000 left in the project, according to a 1987 issue of The Post.
Costs included labor, renovations and moving the building to its current location on the corner of Richland Ave. and Shafer St.
“The move and renovation were completed in the fall of 1987,” the Facilities department said in an email. “That was the last major renovation to that building.”
Preserving historical buildings such as the Bingham House is something that many people feel is an essential thing to do.
Jeanne Gleich-Anthony, an Ohio University professor specializing in women’s history, said that these buildings transport people back and allow people to truly see history.
“They make history more real than what you might get in a lecture,” Gleich-Anthony said.
Brian Schoen, associate professor of history, said that historical buildings provide students, faculty and staff with windows — albeit imperfect ones — into the past.
“They also remind us that while we must be mindful of and study the large and complicated global forces that have and continue to inform our world, our own region and its diverse peoples are part of that story and have an engrossing history of their own — one worthy of reflection and study,” Schoen said in an email.
OU’s Office of Sustainability has been located in the Bingham House’s second floor since February 2013.
“We’re able to connect better with history, utilize natural lighting and employ a shared workspace environment,” said Director of Sustainability Annie Laurie Cadmus in an email. “We want students, faculty, staff and community members to feel welcomed to stop in, check out the building, say hello to our staff, and maybe even enjoy a picnic on our lawn. We hope everyone else comes to love this space as much as we do.”
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This article appeared in print under the headline "Cabin sheds light on OU’s history"
