By: Beth Marshall & Mary E. Mortimer
William J. Orr was born near Wapakoneta, Ohio, in February 1857, to William Perry and Hannah Orr. In April 1880, Orr married Alice Frazier, and they made their home in Auglaize Co. By 1900, Mr. Orr was working as a lumber dealer. The Orr family moved to Logan County about 1902 and purchased land in Jefferson and Richland Townships for the purpose of timber harvesting.
The next year, Orr built a large sawmill and spoke factory in Huntsville just west of the stockyards. The Bellefontaine Republican newspaper reported, “The loggers are busy bringing in the timber to feed the hungry saws of the Orr sawmill. The plant is turning out lots of lumber and several hands are engaged in piling and loading cars.”
A short time later, he moved the sawmill to St. Paris St. in Bellefontaine. The Orr sawmill received two large orders in July 1904, one from the Spalding Manufacturing Co. of New York for twenty carloads of baseball bats and an order from the Standard Oil Co. for 150,000 feet of burr oak lumber to be used in the building of a viaduct. The order was to be delivered within sixty days.
Orr started a hoop factory at the Wylie Mill in Belle Center in 1905 that was managed by his oldest son, Weldon. They set up a portable sawmill on the east side of town to cut timber without having to send it to Bellefontaine for processing. Orr also operated a sawmill and spoke factory in Kenton.
Also in 1905, Orr bought property on E. Columbus Ave. in Bellefontaine from Mrs. Kate Berndt for $2,500. The 1.23-acre lot had a house built by William Hubbard in about 1850.
The Hubbard house was razed for Orr’s “dream house”.
The book “Modern Dwellings” published in 1905 by a well-known architect of the time, George F. Barber, features “a beautiful home of the Georgian type – Classic Colonial”, which except for a few details, is very similar to the “Orr Mansion”. It is very likely Barber’s plans were used in the construction of the Orr home. The woodwork and pillars inside the home are made of quarter-sawn white oak, and the flooring inlaid with cherry and oak. The kitchen was in the basement beneath the warming room with a hand elevator to transport food to the dining room. The front entrance has leaded glass panels, and at the top of the stairs on the second floor, is a beautiful stained-glass window.
The east parlor was mainly used by Mr. Orr and his gentlemen guests while Mrs. Orr entertained in the west parlor. The second floor has four bedrooms with an additional room beyond the southwest bedroom. The third floor features a ballroom that was used for large parties and entertainment. It was reported that the cost to build the home was $40,000. At that time, four of their five children were living with them.
The Bellefontaine Index reported in February 1909 that Mr. and Mrs. W. J. Orr entertained 150 guests at their E. Columbus home. “The interior of the residence was decorated in scarlet hearts and guests were seated throughout the lower parlors. The program opened with a piano solo by Clarence Cappel and was followed by the address of welcome by Mrs. Roy L. Brown who introduced as the principal entertainer of the evening Mrs. A. H. Huber of Belle Center. She gave a number of clever readings with fine effect and Miss Clara Amos, of Sidney, gave a vocal selection “Love Watches Over All” and a piano solo, “Impromptu” by Chopin.” The Orr’s enjoyed entertaining at their home and used the finest china and silver. Mrs. Orr had garden parties for her lady friends that included playing tennis.
In 1910, Orr went into partnership with his brothers, Cass “C.P.” and Elijah “E.C.” when they purchased a mine near Forest, Idaho on the Salmon River. The mine produced gold, silver, and copper on fifteen claims covering 300 acres.
By early 1911, Orr had experienced four fires in four years. His “country home” in Uniopolis, a large barn and sawmill in Kenton and his spoke factory in Bellefontaine were all badly damaged or destroyed by fire. Unfortunately, he did not have his properties insured. On April 13, 1911, after the last fire, Orr closed his Bellefontaine sawmill and sold his horses, mules, wagons, a carriage and buggies that were housed at this barn on the corner of W. Sandusky Ave. and St. Paris St. He then went to Idaho and became superintendent of the Deer Creek Mining & Milling Co. His family remained at their E. Columbus Ave. home.
In 1921, Orr left the mining business and began working for his brothers at their International Lumber Co. in British Columbia inspecting timber. William J. Orr passed away unexpectedly in 1927 while working at another family business, the Orr Saw Tooth Company.
The Orr home was sold to Carl “Pete” and Helen Stuber in 1922. The property changed ownership several times and a nursing home was added in 1961 when Tom and Olga Latham owned the property. The home sat empty for a few years and was showing signs of neglect when the Logan County Historical Society purchased the Orr home and attached nursing home in 1988. After much cleaning and renovation, the Orr Mansion and the Logan County Museum opened to the public in May 1989.
The former nursing home patient rooms are now dedicated to different aspects of history with each one featuring unique exhibits. The Orr Mansion has been refurbished and decorated in the Arts & Crafts style that was popular in the early 1900s when the Orr family lived in their “dream home”.
Visit the Logan County History Center at 521 E. Columbus Ave., Bellefontaine, Ohio 43311, to learn more interesting aspects of Logan County History. The History Center is open for tours Wednesday – Sunday from 1:00 pm to 4:00 pm.
