Bingham House
Building Type:
Administrative
Campus Green:
West Green
Grid Map Square:
E-6
Current Use
Bingham House includes the Office of Sustainability and the Visitor Parking Registration Center; it is marked as #106 on the campus map. It is located on the north bank of the Hocking River, next to Richland Avenue, coordinates E-6 on the campus map.
The visitor parking registration center serves as a convenient gateway for visitors to Ohio University with its prime location, the corner of Richland Avenue and Shafer Street, next to the Convocation Center and Peden Stadium. Visitors may obtain parking information, a permit, and general campus information when visiting the Visitor Parking Registration Center. The center is open Monday through Friday from 7:30 a.m. until 4:30 p.m.
History
The log house was moved twice before becoming a visitors center in 1987. Built in the early 1800s and first located on South College Street, it was believed to be the home of Silas Bingham, a Revolutionary War hero, successful businessman, and the first sheriff of Athens County.
The log structure served as Athens County's first courthouse, and was the residence of Robert G. Wilson, the third president of Ohio University, and John Newton Templeton, who was the University's first black graduate.
In the mid 1800s, the house was moved to East State Street. In 1987, it was moved again to its present site after the community, campus, and Athens County Historical Society and Museum raised the funds for it to be dismantled and relocated. David Callahan, Athens, OH, was the architect. The students from Tri-County Joint Vocational School, Nelsonville, OH, did the work on the center under the direction of Instructors Ron Smith and Harold Sorrell.
The first floor decor, fashioned after an early 19th century home, welcomes while enlightening guests about a unique era in state history. The house is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and is one of the few remaining two-story log buildings in southeastern Ohio. The furniture and accessories in the home were made between 1800 and 1860, and come from early Athens homes or were collected in southeastern Ohio. Photographs and items from the Bingham family are also on display.
Location
97 Richland Ave., Athens, OH 45701 (Directions)
The West Green
West Green is the home of many engineering majors and athletes due to the ready access of Stocker Center and Peden Stadium. Notable buildings on this green include Boyd Hall, Grover Center, Convocation Center and Academic & Research Center.
Experience Athens
People can tell you how great the Athens Campus is, but the best way to know whether it’s right for you is to see it—and experience it—for yourself.