House is Located at the Corner of S.R. 161 & 37

The effort to move an area landmark from destruction is entering it’s final days.

The Captain Scott house at the corner of State Routes 161 & 37 is in danger of being torn down as the State Route 161 widening project continues.

Donna Herring is Secretary of the Alexandria Community Council and explains why the house is important to the area.

“The house is a classic example of Italian style architecture. It is built on a grand scale. That house itself is what people who don’t live in Alexandria see and really appreciate. It has got great bones.”

Herring says the house is important historically.

“It was built for Captain Joseph Scott, and he himself was important in our community in several different ways. He was a businessman and a farmer, but he was also an abolitionist. He published an abolition newsletter that was regionally circulated as early as 1849. His family was really involved in the underground railroad, although this house was not part of the underground railroad.”

Herring says ODOT has given officials until March 16th to get the house contracted to move.

“That was the original written deadline that ODOT gave us. They were able to back off a bit and say that we have until Friday to sign a contract with the house mover. In other words, they need to know certainly on Friday that the house will be gone when this phase of their project starts.”

Herring says they need to raise $35-thousand dollars to save the landmark.

“We had donations of in-kind, cash or pledges of $45,000. Of that $45,000, $20,000 of it was to pay the house mover, which is the thing that we have to do by Friday. AEP gave us $5,000 toward the project. We will choose to apply it to the house mover because that’s what we have to do right now. That means that in terms of the cash that we have to raise immediately, we need at least $15,000.”

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Community Council Secretary Donna Herring