Naming the oldest commercial property in Westerville on record the Stoner House is a misnomer, says Tamara Krause.
“It wasn’t ever a house,” she says.
Krause, whose family has owned the property for more than a decade, now has her own business on the property. She renovated the space as if it were her own home, making it an appropriate project to feature in this issue’s Living section.
“It deserved to have a new life,” she says, and adds that the building is living its best days now that it has moved into this century.
During renovations, Krause removed a lot of the plaster and layers that had accumulated over the last 100 years to restore and reveal most of the original architecture. On the south side of the lower level, where Krause’s business is located, they uncovered brick archways.
“Wherever we could, we opened up the brick,” she says.
Krause says most of the house is made out of brick and is why it mostly survived an electrical fire in 2010, although the upstairs needed some renovations.
The house still has its original staircase and handrail, wood trim, deep windowsills and some original wavy window glass, but Krause has added some modern touches to the nearly 4,000-square-foot property like light fixtures and an HVAC system—things that were nonexistent when the building was first built.
In the 19th century, George Stoner purchased the land at 133 S. State St. from the Westervelt family and built the property to house his own businesses: an inn and a stagecoach operation. The business was moved there from Stoner’s actual home, which is currently part of the library.
Stoner picked up college students from Otterbein College at a train station
in Columbus in his stagecoach and was notorious for being a fast driver. It was considered a rite of passage for students to travel with him, Krause says.
Stoner’s property also played a role in the Underground Railroad. The building had a room, only accessible from the outside, to shelter those escaping slavery. Stoner would smuggle the runaways in his stagecoach and drop them off at his inn.
Ironically, slave hunters often stayed at the inn, but never found the room, Krause says.
Today, the hidden room can be accessed at the back of the building through a door much larger than the one enslaved people would have used. After getting inquiries from visitors who wanted to check out the room, Krause staged the area with straw, chairs and other items to give visitors an idea of what conditions were like for runaways during that era.
Following the Civil War, the room changed hands many more times. Throughout its history, the building was home to insurance and real estate agents, and was at one point an apartment. Most notably, however, it was frequently a practice for physicians includ- ing Dr. Erminnie Smallwood, one of the few renowned female physicians in the 1900s.
Back then, women made up less than two percent of all physicians. Smallwood graduated from medical school in Cin- cinnati, taught at Ohio University and served as the head of a medical institu- tion. She published papers on the impor- tance of clean oxygen and its benefits for a healthy body.
Krause says she could do anything except vote – until the 19th Amendment was passed, of course.
In Westerville, Smallwood was the go-to person for injuries and illnesses. When renovating the building, Krause found old pictures and documents, including a postcard from one of Dr. Smallwood’s patients.
Another notable tenant of the building was the American Issue Publishing Co., the publishing arm of the Anti-Saloon League.
“(It) was the money-making driver for the prohibition movement,” Krause says.
Krause’s father, Charles Moon, who owned many properties in Westerville, purchased the Stoner House because it fit his interest in old buildings.
“He particularly loves this building,” Krause says.
Krause’s family didn’t make any immediate changes to the building. Out of respect for the previous owner, they allowed a bookstore to continue to operate out of the property for many years until it eventually left. Before the renovations, the building felt claustrophobic with acoustic drop ceilings.
“It felt like a maze,” Krause says.
The Stoner House has gained some reputation as a haunted site and Krause has her share of supernatural stories. For instance, when Krause visited the supply room, she sometimes smelled cigarette smoke as if someone had just been smoking. One of her tenants heard whistling out of nowhere and another had seen an apparition on the upper level.
“I don’t ever get freaked out,” Krause says.
During renovations, Krause and two other people were working on the lower level. Krause and a woman worked in one room, while a man worked on the other side. Three times he came over asking what Krause wanted.
However, Krause says she never called for him, but the man informed her he heard his name three times.
“And the funny thing was,” Krause says, “his name was George.” Just like the home’s original owner.
Brandon Klein is an associate editor. Feedback welcome at bklein@cityscenemediagroup.com.
