J.E Reeves Victorian Home And Carriage House Museum

History

A new century was just beginning when Jeremiah E. Reeves moved his family into the newly remodeled home in Dover, Ohio. It was April of 1901, and the move followed three years of extensive remodeling and re-design of a former farmhouse which had been built around 1870 on what was then the outskirts of the growing canal port community of Dover.

The property looked very different when Mr. Reeves purchased the 30 year-old farmhouse in 1898. Built by prosperous farmer Valentine Wills, it had enduring qualities - strong brick constructions, spacious rooms, high ceilings and a pleasing form which lent themselves to the type of remodeling and rebuilding which Mr. Reeves apparently envisioned.

The Will's property had distinct advantages. It was near the rolling mills which played such an important part in Mr. Reeves' career as a steel manufacturer. The house itself, surrounded by it's accompanying spacious grounds, was situated on a small hill which rose from the river-level and overlooked the manufacturing sites.

Within a short time, the area became known locally as Reeves Heights. The appellation was strengthened as other family members and executives of the Reeves enterprises built and occupied homes in the immediate vicinity. The Home and it's Carriage House, now listed in the National Register of Historic Places, are distinctive and have long caught the attention of passersby on Iron Avenue in Dover.

The size of the home (17 to 21 rooms, depending on how one counts pantries, bathrooms, storage areas, etc.) and it's gleaming white exterior are enhanced by dormers, bays, turrets, classical columns and a porte cochere. To the rear, and visible from the front of the property, is the large turreted Carriage House which has its own enchanting fairy-tale appearance.