Joshua Reed Giddings Law Office
Giddings, Joshua Reed, Law Office | |
![]() 1936 HABS photo, showing location on Chestnut Street. | |
Location | 102 E. Jefferson St, Jefferson, Ohio |
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Coordinates | 41°44′18″N 80°45′47″W / 41.73833°N 80.76306°W |
Area | less than one acre |
Built | 1823 |
NRHP reference No. | 74001396 |
Significant dates | |
Added to NRHP | May 30, 1974[1] |
Designated NHL | May 30, 1974[2] |
The Joshua Reed Giddings Law Office is a historic commercial building at 102 East Jefferson Street in Jefferson, Ohio. Built in 1823, it was the law office of Joshua Reed Giddings (1795-1864), a prominent abolitionist who served as a U.S. representative from 1838 to 1859. The building was recognized as a National Historic Landmark for Giddings' role in the slavery debates preceding the American Civil War. It is now owned by the local historical society, and is a museum open by appointment.
Description and history
[edit]The Joshua Read Giddings Law Office is located east of downtown Jefferson, on the south side of East Jefferson Street, across from the Jefferson Baptist Church and next to a small public park called Giddings Park. It is a small single-story wood-frame structure, covered by a gabled roof and finished in wooden clapboards. The front facade has the main entrance on the right and a window on the left; a similar arrangement is on the back as well. The doorway is flanked by slender pilasters and topped by a corniced entablature. The building has simple corner boards, which rise to a narrow entablature; the gable above is fully pedimented. The interior of the building consists of a single chamber.[3]
The building was constructed in 1823. From 1838 to 1859 it served as the law office of Joshua Reed Giddings. Giddings was a vocal abolitionist, who pressed debates on slavery during his service in the United States House of Representatives. His radical pronouncements earned him the censure of Congress for violating the body's gag rule forbidding discussion of slavery. Giddings is believed to a significant effect on the antislavery stance of President Abraham Lincoln.[3]
The building is now a museum owned and operated by the Ashtabula County Historical Society. Originally located next to Giddings' house on North Chestnut Street, it was moved to its present location in 2013.
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A placard near the law office memorializing Joshua Reed Giddings' public service work
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The law office of Joshua Reed Giddings
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. April 15, 2008.
- ^ "Joshua R. Giddings Law Office". National Historic Landmark summary listing. National Park Service. Archived from the original on January 19, 2008. Retrieved June 16, 2008.
- ^ a b "National Historic Landmark nomination for Joshua Reed Giddings Law Office". National Park Service. Retrieved February 26, 2018.
External links
[edit]![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/4/4a/Commons-logo.svg/30px-Commons-logo.svg.png)
- Ashtabula County Historical Society
- Historic American Buildings Survey (HABS) No. OH-268, "Joshua R. Giddings Law Office, Chestnut & Walnut Streets, Jefferson, Ashtabula County, OH", 5 photos, 3 measured drawings, 2 data pages
- Buildings and structures in Ashtabula County, Ohio
- National Register of Historic Places in Ashtabula County, Ohio
- Commercial buildings completed in 1823
- National Historic Landmarks in Ohio
- Federal architecture in Ohio
- Museums in Ashtabula County, Ohio
- History museums in Ohio
- Historic American Buildings Survey in Ohio
- 1823 establishments in Ohio
- Law offices
- Legal history of Ohio