The Martin-Perry House
The Martin-Perry House is home to the Powell Liberty Historical Society and honors the only two families who lived in the simple farmhouse. The two-story frame house is late Victorian vernacular with gabled ells and a one-story porch built by local resident Timothy Colvin. The homestead is typical of those in small-town Ohio in the late 1800s and early 1900s. Originally, there were 44 acres.
Mary and Albert Martin were married in the home in June of 1889. They raised three daughters, Hazel, Helen and Rhea. Mr. Martin was a telegraph operator for the Columbus and Toledo Railroad. After his death, Mary cared for the the cows and chickens, made butter to sell, did sewing and helped raise her granddaughter, Mildred.
Mary and Erwin Perry bought the home in 1928 and raised six children: Leroy, Ivah, Donald, Alice, Jean, and Norman. Mr. Perry was educated at Ohio Northern University. He was a surveyor and engineer who was a building superintendent for the O'Shaughnessy Dam. His family maintained the small farm and had a large garden on the property. Mr. Perry is remembered for making candy: divinity and taffy. Mrs. Perry gave piano lessons. She lived in the home until the late 1970s.
The eight-room house is now a showplace of rural Victorian furnishings and memorabilia. The house includes many original family pieces, as well as artifacts, genealogy information, and a small research library, with emphasis on Powell, Hyatts, and Liberty Township. It is located in the center of Powell, about midway between the Olentangy and Scioto Rivers, in southern Delaware County.