Kokosing House
From KCpedia
The Kokosing House, also known as the "Bishop's House," was built in 1864 by Bishop Gregory Thurston Bedell and his wife on the banks of the Kokosing River.
Contents |
A Problem of Origin
The Kokosing House architect is unknown, but many speculate that William Tinsley was commissioned to build the house. William Tinsley, an Irish architect who emigrated to the United States in 1851, was previously comissioned to build Ascension Hall and wrote in his recollections that he built a house for the "Grand Old Man of Kenyon" during the Civil War period. Although some believe this to be a reference to the Kokosing House, others suggest that the Quarry Chapel Church is the building Tinsley was refering to in his recollections.
The exact materials used to build the Kokosing House are also unknown. George Franklin Smythe gives August 11, 1864 as the completion date of the Bishop's house and remarks that the building stone came from the same quarry that yielded the material for Ascension Hall. The "Tour of Historic Churches and Homes" published by the Knox County Renaissance Foundation in 2000, however, claims that the house was actually built out of sandstone from the same quarry as the Church of the Holy Spirit. This source confirms 1864 as the year of construction, and writes that Bishop Bedell insisted that all work be done by local builders and craftsmen to prove to his friends from the East that a quality home could be built during those war years with the local resources.
The Bishop's Eye
Initially, the Kokosing House had nine fireplaces, a third floor balcony, a daylight basement, and "disappearing" pocket shutters for the gothic windows and doors throughout the house. The spire of the Church of the Holy Spirit could be seen from the bullseye window, which pierces the diagonal wall of the living room. This window was nicknamed the "Bishop's Eye," because Bishop Bedell kept the trees trimmed so he could see his church from the home.
After Bedell
In 1891 Bedell presented Kokosing House to the College. It was leased to a succession of bishops and finally returned to the college in 1938, when it was divided into three apartments for professors.
The Bishop and Mrs. Bedell lived there for 25 years, and were known for entertaining faculty members, village people, and students. The house has been said to be the residence of a member of Kenyon's community of ghosts.
Resources in the Kenyon College Archives
- Kokosing House -- collected materials (oversize)
