Gov. Thomas Kirker Homestead

Kirker, Gov. Thomas, Homestead
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
Nearest city	West Union, Ohio
Coordinates	38°46′28″N 83°35′57″W / 38.77444°N 83.59917°W / 38.77444; -83.59917 (Kirker, Gov. Thomas, Homestead)Coordinates: 38°46′28″N 83°35′57″W / 38.77444°N 83.59917°W / 38.77444; -83.59917 (Kirker, Gov. Thomas, Homestead)
Area	1.5 acres (0.61 ha)
Built	1805
NRHP reference No.	75001310[1]
Added to NRHP	November 3, 1975

The Gov. Thomas Kirker Homestead, in Liberty Township, Adams County, Ohio near West Union, Ohio, was built in 1805. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1975.^[1]

It is located southwest of West Union off State Route 136.^[2]

The original 1805-built portion of the house is a stone, three-bay by two-bay, one-and-a-half-story structure.^[2]

It was home of Thomas Kirker, an immigrant from Ireland who became Ohio's second governor during 1807–08.^[2]

The homestead was visited by Confederate soldiers raiding for horses, under John Hunt Morgan, but their quest was unsuccessful as the place had been warned of their approach.^[2] -THE OHIO GOVENOR- THOMAS KIRKER, the second governor of Ohio, was born in Tyrone County, Ireland in 1760. His education was limited and attained in the common schools of Ireland. He moved with his family to Lancaster, Pennsylvania around 1779. Kirker traveled to Kentucky, and eventually settled in Adams County, Ohio, where he became a farmer and a ruling elder in the West Union Presbyterian Church. He first entered public service in 1797, serving as a justice of the peace. He also served as a delegate to the 1802 Constitutional Convention; was a member of the Ohio House of Representatives in 1803; and served as a member and speaker of the Ohio Senate from 1804 to 1815. On March 4, 1807, Governor Edward Tiffin retired from office, and Kirker, who was senate speaker at the time, assumed the duties of the governorship. During his tenure, the protection of white settlers against attacks from Indians was successfully dealt with. After running unsuccessfully for a gubernatorial term of his own, Kirker returned to his senatorial duties. In 1816 he won reelection to the Ohio House of Representatives. He also served on the Common Pleas Court bench in 1821; and served again in the Ohio Senate from 1821 to 1825. In his last political position, he served as a presidential elector, casting his vote for Henry Clay. Governor Thomas Kirker died on February 20, 1837, and was buried in the family graveyard on his farm.

See also[]

• Kirker Covered Bridge, also NRHP-listed

References[]

Sobel, Robert, and John Raimo, eds. Biographical Directory of the Governors of the United States, 1789-1978, Vol. 3, Westport, Conn.; Meckler Books, 1978. 4 vols.