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Wilkinson / Van Fleet / Ehni House. The
square pillars supporting a narrow cornice under the porch
roof are unusual stylistic variations of Greek
Revival. A wider entablature runs under the gabled
roof and returns over an arched window with wooden fanlight
and palladium style window. The off-center doorway
leads into the entrance hall with a handsome
staircase. The small enclosed porch, once recessed and
columned, led into a summer kitchen. Woodwork
throughout the house is typical of the period. The
unusual disproportion between the lower floor and upper
floors gave rise to the legend that the house was built to
resemble a steamboat.
Indeed, the builder, James Wilkinson, was a member of a
family of ship captains and was a ship builder. He
served as Mayor of Maumee from 1841 to 1843. The
family suffered a great tragedy in 1849 when the steamer
piloted by his step-son, Charles C. Roby, exploded and sank
on Lake Erie. Wilkinson's wife, Alice, granddaughter,
Abby Champion, Captain Roby and his wife, Alice, were all
drowned.
More fortunate was a later owner, Colonel Henry Van
Fleet, who was captured at Chickamauga and imprisoned at
Andersonville during the Civil War. He was among a
ship load of freed prisoners when their craft, the Sultana,
caught fire and sank. Van Fleet was one of the few to
survive. Van Fleet later served several terms on
Maumee City Council and was elected County Commissioner in
1906. Previously, the Lautzenheiser family who
operated the Maumee Woolen Mill from c. 1875 to the early
1900's lived here.
Tom and Molly Ehni purchased the home from Hugh and Bunny
Price in the 1980's and have preserved the home's classic
architecture.
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