Highland County Historical Society celebrates 50th anniversary, Part IX
By Pamela Nickell
Highland County Historical Society
The most recent property acquisition of the Highland House Historical Society is the Scott House, located on West Main Street in Hillsboro.
An article in The Highland County Press, dated Oct. 27, 2012, reports the transfer process between owner Hillsboro City School Board, Rick Earley, superintendent, and the Highland County Historical Society through resolution of transfer of the Highland County Commissioners Tom Horst, Shane Wilkin and Jeremy Shaffer.
Anneka Collins, county prosecutor, stated: “The agreement is, you (commissioners) will purchase it for $1 and transfer it to the CIC (Community Improvement Corporation), who will transfer it to the Historical Society. We will draw up a resolution.”
Members of the Society who worked to enable this to happen were Tom Watkins, Kay Ayres, Dwight Crum, Caroyl Reid, Larry Dukes, Jill Yochum, Margaret Van Frank and Jean Wallis. Thus, in January 2013, the Scott House was acquired by the Society.
Currently, the mansion houses the offices of the Highland County Chamber of Commerce and the Ohio Valley RC&D Council. However, as does the Highland House, the Scott House has a long history before becoming part of the HCHS.
The mansion is a large two-story Georgian style brick, imposing today, but must surely was amazingly so in the late 1830s as it was being built among the mostly log cabin structures to the west of town.
It was built by the Scotts, William, and his father, David.
William had moved here in 1832 to establish a law practice. He married his wife, Elizabeth Jane Parson, on Nov. 30, 1843, and the Scott Mansion was completed in 1844.
They raised two children in the house. William died in early 1886 and left the estate to his son, Samuel, who married Elizabeth Woodbridge. Samuel and Elizabeth, died in 1929 and 1946 respectively, leaving no children.
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By 1947, the Hillsboro City Board of Education owned the Scott House. It has housed several community organizations, including the Hillsboro Library and the Hillsboro City School Administration offices.
In the 1990s, a restoration campaign became a community-wide effort with dollars and labor donated. Major donors Vernon B. Fairley, Jr., Jim and Susan Gibbs, Fifth/Third Bank, Liberty Savings, Weastec, Dr. David and Kay Ayres and Merchants National Bank had rooms named in their honor. These plaques remain in place.
The Highland County Historical Society, while not a building preservation organization, is blessed and challenged with the responsibility of the Scott House and is committed to maintain it for the grace and dignity it lends our community.