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RESIDENCES

RITCHIE HOUSE

One of the early settlers of Ludlow, Kentucky, was the Ritchie family. Casper Ritchie (1827–1908) was a native of Switzerland, and he left his homeland for the United States in 1834. He was joined by his parents, Casper Sr. and Elizabeth, and brother Jacques. They settled a year later in Cincinnati. Casper Jr. became a well-off grocer, and he bought a residence in Mount Adams. Because of his success, he was able to purchase property in Ludlow around 1860, and he constructed the “Ritchie” House the same year. The two-story house was built for $20,000, and its main entrance was covered by a cast-iron porch.⁵³ According to Dave Schroeder in Life Along the Ohio River: A Sesquicentennial History of Ludlow, Kentucky, “[T]he Ritchie Family was typical of those residing in the Ludlow area before the arrival of the railroad. Many wealthy Cincinnatians built homes in Ludlow to get away from the overcrowded and unhealthy conditions of the city.” The Ritchies had seven children at the Ludlow home: Walter, Arnold, Casper, Lily, Lula, Louis and Harvey. Two maids and a house helper assisted in running the household. The longest surviving child was Lula, who lived until 1943. Schroeder added that “the luxury of the home was impressive. On the grounds were located a brick, two story building that housed the stable, a place to store the carriages, and the laundry.” In 1864, an addition was added to house Casper’s book collection.

Ritchie House. Kenton County Public Library.

In 1958, the Ritchie House, on the northwest corner of Elm and Locust Streets, was sold to the Tea Company of Cincinnati for $84,000. It was then demolished for a new Kroger store. The Kroger store operated for many years until a new store was constructed in Fort Mitchell. Later, the building was used as an IGA Grocery store, and the site now houses several businesses.

AMOS SHINKLE MANSION

Amos Shinkle is one of the more famous historical figures in Northern Kentucky. He was born in Brown County, Ohio, on August 11, 1818, and as a teenager began working on a flatboat. He relocated to Covington around 1847 and started a successful coal business and constructed and sold steamboats. Less than ten years after relocating to Covington, he became a major stockholder in the Covington and Cincinnati Bridge Company, which financed the construction of the Roebling Suspension Bridge. In 1864, Shinkle became the president of the company. A lot of money was generated from the bridge during this time from the collection of tolls. Also involved in banking, Shinkle helped create the first national Bank of Covington in 1864 and served as president of the Covington Gaslight Company. He was also a Covington City Council member from 1853 to 1866 and served on the Covington School Board. Out of his own pocket, Shinkle financed the first Covington Protestant Orphanage. It is now known as the Children’s Home of Northern Kentucky. He was one of Covington’s richest citizens.

Shinkle Mansion. Kenton County Public Library.

Shinkle lived in various places over the years, including the summer home in today’s Crestview Hills, Kentucky. His most famous home was constructed in 1869 and was a large Gothic Revival—style mansion on Second Street in Covington. Located in what is today the Licking-Riverside and Ohio National Historic District, the home contained thirty-three rooms and was made of white stone. This was Shinkle’s main residence, and he lived there until his death on November 14, 1892. He was survived by his wife, Sarah, his son and two grandchildren. His visitation was at the mansion. Quite wealthy, Shinkle left to heirs an estate of approximately $2.5 million. Sarah lived until 1908 and died at the Second Street mansion. Following her death, the Shinkle’s son, Bradford, and his family lived in the mansion until 1914. The mansion was then donated to the Salvation Army to be used as a women’s home. At the time of the donation, the mansion had electric lighting, furnace heat, hot water and a lawn fountain. Title was transferred on June 8, 1914. The organization received a mansion with woodwork that rivaled the “palaces of England,” according to the Salvation Army adjutant.⁵⁴ It was valued at $150,000 and was, at the time, the largest gift ever made to the Salvation Army in the United States. However, it wasn’t used very long for the intended purpose. The mansion was then used as the very first Booth Memorial Hospital, also operated by the Salvation Army. In the 1920s, the beautiful mansion was demolished in order to construct a new hospital. Booth Hospital in Covington served the community until the late 1970s, and today the building houses condos.

MARION GRUBBS HOUSE (ROSEGATE FARM)

The Marion Grubbs Farm, located on Dixie Highway (U.S. 25) between Mount Zion and Richwood Roads, is better known as the Rosegate Farm. Dixie Highway is traditionally known as the Covington-Lexington Turnpike and is now a heavily used industrial and commercial road. The Grubbs Farm was one of the few surviving farms along the turnpike. Today, it is basically an empty field.

While serving as a beautiful farm for many years, the house is best known for its infamous past. On August 17, 1943, Carl Kiger and his son, Jerry, were murdered in the house, leading to the most famous trial in Boone County history. The trial gained national exposure, and “speculation and controversy still swirl around the night Carl Kiger and his six-year old son, Jerry, died. At the center of that notorious night was Carl’s fifteen year old daughter Joan, who was later placed on trial for the shooting deaths of both Carl and Jerry.”⁵⁵

In the first deed recording, Samuel McDowell sold the thousand acres to James and Joseph McDowell on August 29, 1815. The property was described as “not far from Big Bone Lick.”⁵⁶ Between 1842 and 1851, Wickliff Grubbs acquired most of the land, and between 1867 and 1884, Marion Grubbs obtained the property from Grubbs’s estate. A later owner, Nellie Downing, sold a small part, including the house, to Jeannie Kiger on September 30, 1941. The Kigers considered Rosegate a summer home, as Carl Kiger was a Covington city commissioner and vice-mayor. The four-bedroom home sat on twenty acres and consisted of a large lake, several barns, chicken coops and a beautiful view of the green landscape. Following the murders, Rosegate was sold at auction for about $14,000 on November 2, 1943.

Marion Grubbs House (Rosegate Farms), site of Kiger murders. Boone County Public Library.

According to a Kentucky Historical Resources survey of Rosegate:

The Marion Grubbs House is an excellent example of the classic I house, a symbol of prosperity on the mid-19^th century landscape. Like many country houses, it evolved through a series of additions, and thus includes an interesting mixture of elements of different periods and styles; these include center gable, a common feature of post-civil war era dwellings, and the angled vestibule and sub porch, dating from the early 20^th century. The house incorporates materials unusual in the local context—slate roofing and beaded siding-perhaps reflecting the affluence of the owners. The distinctive double garage, and imposing structure somewhat unexpected in the rural context, may be unique in the vicinity.

Although in excellent shape at the time of the survey, the house was demolished by its owner in the early 2000s. Perhaps more than any lost house in Boone County, the one at Rosegate is often discussed. The Kiger murders of 1943 are often studied by people today. Books and a play have been written about what transpired at the house.

PIATT’S LANDING

Piatt’s Landing was first a Canadian trading post, established in 1780 by a fur trapper named DeHart. He was killed in 1785 by the Shawnee. It was this piece of land Robert Piatt settled in 1908. The Piatt family was important throughout the Ohio Valley region of the country. Piatt bought two hundred acres of land, and in 1814, he built a house that later became known as Winfield Cottage. This significant house served as home to the Piatts and others throughout the years.

Robert Piatt was the nephew of Jacob Piatt, who built the magnificent Federal Hall near Petersburg. Operating a ferry from the Piatt’s Landing site, Robert shipped his goods up and down the Ohio River. During the War of 1812, Robert and his cousin John supplied the troops under a contract with the army. Robert was commissioned a major in the Quartermaster Department.⁵⁷ Robert Piatt was the grandfather of Civil War general Edward Canby.

Winfield Cottage, Piatt’s Landing. Boone County Public Library.

The house Robert built was of the Greek Revival style. It was named Winfield Cottage by the second owners of the property. According to notes by Jane Piatt Bottorff Holmes, arranged by Katherine Piatt Bottorff,

He [Robert] built a large brick house close to the river bank and laid out the grounds so that the place became a Mecca for visitors who came to enjoy the hospitality so freely offered and also to admire the flowers and plants grown in our great grandmother’s garden. It is told that she had medicinal herbs enough to keep the whole plantation in teas and salves and as doctors were very scarce—she was physician by proxy to the whole neighborhood. When steamboats began to pass up and down the Ohio Major Robert established a wood yard where he supplied cordwood to boats. When the steamers would land to take on wood, the passengers would be escorted up to the “big house” and taken to see the gardens and orchards and returned to the steamers loaded with fruit and flowers.

Perhaps the most significant occurrence on the property was the birth of General Canby. According to the historical marker near the site, “Brevet Maj. Gen. Edward Richard Sprigg Canby was born, November 9, 1817. A West Point graduate, in 1839, he accepted the final surrender of the Confederacy from Generals Richard Taylor and Kirby Smith in Alabama and Louisiana in May 1865. He was killed in California at a peace conference with Modoc Indians, April 11, 1873.”

According to one Library of Congress document, the

house appears to have been built in three stages: the central area, which was the first of the three stages was a brick story and a half, containing seven rooms, four on the first and three on the second. It had a gambrel roof with three dormers front and back and stepped parapet end walls. The second stage was the addition of the portico and the east and west rooms. The third stage was the addition of the northeast structure which contained two rooms and a cellar.

Longtime Boone County resident Pat Raverty recalled his visits to the house before it was demolished:

Fortunately, I had the privilege of touring Winnfield Cottage at Piatt’s Landing a number of times before its demise. I was taken with its twelve-inch-thick brick walls that had been white washed and a cool recessed porch that took advantage of the stunning view of the Ohio River. The house had four chimneys and fireplaces, and over time two additions were added. It was a most impressive structure.

The house was demolished in the early 1970s and located near what is today the East Bend Power Plant in rural Boone County.

INTERNAL REVENUE SITE

Most residents of Greater Cincinnati know where the Covington Internal Revenue Service (IRS) Center complex is located. Designed by architect Carl Bankemper, the edifice stands on a twenty-three-acre site along Fourth Street. Construction on the building began in 1965 and was completed two years later. The official dedication took place in August 1967. The building cost $4.5 million to complete. According to author Dave Schroeder, “[T]he building came at a very opportune time for Covington. The city was suffering financially as many residents and businesses had left the community for the suburbs. The influx of IRS employees brought new revenue to the city coffers and helped a number of existing nearby businesses remain open.” Congressman Brent Spence is widely regarded as the individual who made the location of this center to Covington happen.

The most interesting aspect of the site is what was located there before the IRS built its sprawling complex—a well-developed neighborhood. In fact, the residential area was pretty much completely occupied by the 1880s. It was an immigrant community and, by the time of its destruction, housed second and third generations. In an article for Northern Kentucky Magazine, Schroeder described the neighborhood:

[T] he streets were lined with densely packed one and two story red brick homes and businesses. Small grocery stores and dry goods establishments were a part of the fabric of the community. The neighborhood continued to fill in, and by the early 1900s, manufacturing plants and tobacco warehouses were also represented on the riverfront. The streets were bustling with activity and filled with multicultural families and individuals. The residents had good access to public transportation through streetcar service

Riverside Drive and Covington Buildings prior to construction of Internal Revenue Service Building. Kenton County Public Library.

on Madison Avenue. The neighborhood’s proximity to the Ohio River and the John A. Roebling Suspension Bridge provided the population with convenient access to Cincinnati.

The neighborhood was working class, and its residents were displaced by the U.S. government buying homes for the new IRS complex. Some have argued the destruction of this neighborhood led in part to an economic downturn in the city. There were now fewer residents to visit downtown Covington businesses. Two grocery stores, Kroger and Albers, both closed during this time.⁵⁸

Two magnificent churches were located in the neighborhood. One was the First Baptist Church, completed in 1873. Its fieldstone façade stands out in all its glory. The second church did not survive the construction of the IRS complex. It was next door to the First Baptist Church. The First Presbyterian Church was also dedicated in 1873 and “featured a 185 foot spire that became a visual point of reference for the community.”⁵⁹

The neighborhood was greatly damaged and affected by the flood of 1937. Between twelve and fifteen thousand Northern Kentuckians were forced to leave their homes, and transportation links between Covington and Cincinnati were flooded. Most likely, all from the neighborhood were forced to evacuate. Only the C&O and Suspension Bridges were open. A permit was required to cross on the Suspension Bridge.

Today, the IRS Service Center continues to run. However, in 2016, the IRS announced its intention to close the facility in the next few years. As much as the old neighborhood was a key part of the city of Covington, today the IRS Center is a mainstay. Its loss will cost the city around 1,800 jobs. Replacing these jobs will be a real challenge for city officials, and working with the federal government on future site development is crucial to Covington’s future.

MOUNT ST. MARTIN – JONES MANSION

In 1977, one of the most beautiful mansions in the region was demolished. Located on a hillside east of Thirteenth and Monmouth Streets, the Italian villa was highly visible to residents and visitors alike. Since 1889, this architectural gem had been known as Mount St. Martin as a result of the Sisters of Divine Providence occupying the mansion. Before 1889, it was known as the Jones Mansion or Castle.

Mary Keturah-Taylor was the granddaughter of General James Taylor Jr. and quite an accomplished woman. She was a writer of poetry and a scholar. On September 12, 1848, she married Thomas Laurens Jones, a lawyer. Jones later became a Kentucky legislator and a member of the U.S. House of Representatives. He ran unsuccessfully for governor in 1883. In July 1862, Jones was arrested as a Confederate sympathizer, but he later swore an allegiance to the Union.⁶⁰ According to the Encylopedia of Northern Kentucky, “[W]hile on their honeymoon in Europe the newlyweds fell in love with an Italianate-style castle in England; and as the couple’s wedding gift, Mary’s father, Col. James Taylor III, offered to replicate the structure on a site of their choosing.” They chose a beautiful wooded hillside in an area of Newport known as Newport Highlands. Today the site is at the intersection of U.S. 27 and Carothers Road.

The Jones mansion was designed by architect Robert A. Love. The result was a twenty-two-room mansion of gray brick with twin towers. Construction began in 1851, and the family moved in two years later. A description of the mansion helps capture its grandeur:

The Jones Mansion. Kenton County Public Library.

The completed structure comprised three sections: the two-story central section featured four triple sectioned windows set in arched, recessed panels, and was flanked on either side by two four-story towers with tall, narrow, one-over-one windows. The northwest tower, the taller of the two, was surmounted by a four-sided belvedere and enclosed the building’s stunning mahogany spiral staircase; it’s seventy steps led to a unique, windowless room with a circular, balustrade opening in the ceiling and a side stairway by which the belvedere and its spectacular, full-circle view of the surrounding area could be accessed.

The interior included “marble and tile floors, ornate ceilings festooned with decorative plasterwork such as molded fruits, acanthus, and garlands; several hand carved fireplaces; and rare red Bohemian glass transoms above the stair hall’s main entry doors.”⁶¹

Magnificent parties and social events occurred over the years the Joneses owned the Mansion. These included parties for political figures, socially prominent individuals and literary dignitaries.⁶²

Upon the death of Thomas Jones on July 20, 1887, Mary moved to another location in Newport, and in 1889, she sold the house to the Diocese of Covington. Today a shopping center sits on the partially leveled hillside that once held the Jones Mansion.

Jacob Piatt’s Federal Hall. Boone County Public Library.

FEDERAL HALL

John and Frances Piatt immigrated to America in the 1700s, and their five children were John Jr., Daniel, Abraham, William and Jacob. All joined the Continental army during the Revolutionary War. Jacob Piatt was the uncle of Robert Piatt, who built Winfield Cottage at East Bend. Jacob served with George Washington in the Revolutionary War and was an officer of the First New Jersey Regiment. He entered the army in 1775 and fought in many battles. He was married in 1779 to Hannah Cook McCullough.

Following the Revolutionary War, Jacob Piatt moved to Cincinnati in 1795 and in 1799 to Boone County, Kentucky. He became a colonel. Jacob and his wife settled on 510 acres of land on a hilltop overlooking the Ohio River. Some say he utilized his military land grant to settle in Kentucky.⁶³ Ron Buckley, the leading expert on the Federal Hall property, said evidence shows he purchased it. Piatt became a judge in Boone County and served for thirteen years. According to his Find a Grave entry, “He was the [sic] one of the first judges in the state of Kentucky to sentence a defendant to death.” Piatt also was a founding member of the Society of Cincinnati.

It was on this location that Piatt built his stately Federal-style mansion, presumably in 1803 or 1804. It was called Federal Hall, and the view was spectacular. The front had a large double window facing the Ohio River. According to Ron Buckley, the house was fancy and made of stone. One extension of wood was added to the house. The outside was painted white, and inside were plaster walls. The land was farmed, producing tobacco and corn.⁶⁴ While at Federal Hall, Piatt owned slaves. In 1825, General Marquis de Lafayette visited Federal Hall, along with Colonel Zebulon Pike, the father of General Zebulon M. Pike.⁶⁵ Hannah died in 1818, and Colonel Piatt, after remarrying, died in 1834. He is buried approximately 250 feet from Federal Hall in an abandoned family cemetery. A 116-acre ferry site was 4,300 feet from the house, established in 1800 by Piatt and John Watts. A fire destroyed the vacant Federal Hall in the 1980s, and only some ruins exist today. It is located between the end of Lawrenceburg Ferry Road (South) and I-275 (North). The Piatt family owned the land until 1873, when it was sold to outside interests.