Orange Johnson House Museum, Worthington

About Orange Johnson House Museum

The Orange Johnson House Museum in Worthington preserves one of central Ohio's oldest residences still standing in its original location. Visitors take a docent-led tour through rooms furnished with period pieces connected to early Worthington families. The oldest section, built in 1811, features pioneer architecture including a low-ceilinged keeping room with solid walnut wainscoting and a steep dogleg staircase. The original kitchen contains an open fireplace with a large iron crane and bread oven. Orange Johnson, a hornsmith who specialized in comb-making, purchased the property in 1816 and added a Federal-style section with a curved fanlight entry, sidelights, and four principal rooms with handsome mantels. Costumed guides describe everyday pursuits of early settlers and explain the comb-making trade while visitors examine a collection of nineteenth-century women's hair combs and comb-making tools. Exhibition rooms on the lower level feature rotating exhibits from the historical society's collection. The house is located in Worthington, Ohio.