MILFORD — When a thick Milford history was published this week, it contained many references to former Ohio Gov. John Pattison and his Italianate villa, Promont.

        A century after their reign, both the memory of Mr. Pattison and the brick tower of Promont still rise above this Clermont County city.

The tall windows in the tower of Promont House Museum in Milford were designed to act as an air conditioner, letting hot air rise and escape. | ZOOM |

        “He was absolutely incorruptible and very fiscally conservative,” said Carol Flum of the Milford Area Historical Society and Museum. “Unfortunately, he was in office only four months, and he died. But this house and what it means to Milford goes on.”

        Promont House Museum, 906 Main St., is operated by the Milford Area Historical Society's volunteers, with no corporate donors to help pay day-to-day bills.

        Mrs. Flum said the house was the most magnificent in Milford in its day and has remained so. “The first time I saw it,” she said, “I was bowled over. I became a volunteer.”

        Though most people associate Gov. Pattison (1879-1906) with Promont, he did not conceive of it. That honor belongs to businessman William McGrue, who built the house from 1865-1867.

IF YOU GO

Promont is at 906 Main St., Milford. Take Interstate 275 to the Milford exit and go west on U.S. 50 toward downtown. The driveway is on the left. The house is open from 1:30 to 4:30 p.m. Sundays and Fridays. It is decorated for a Victorian Christmas.     The new city history, Bridge to the Past: A History of Milford, Ohio, may be obtained at the museum for $32 or by mail. It has 574 pages and 350 illustrations. Postage is $4. For information, call 248-0324.

        “What makes him interesting is that he made his money selling mules to the Union army at Camp Dennison,” Mrs. Flum said. “The people called this place McGrue's Folly. But it has endured.”

        Perhaps Milford's people could not fathom the home's glitter and glory in the dark days after the Civil War. The mansion, originally on 56 acres, is painted white. Its bricks were fired on the site.

        Ceilings are 13 feet, 4 inches and decorated with plaster cornices and floral relief. All but one fireplace mantel are made of carved Italian marble. The exception, in the master bedroom on the second floor, is made of slate.

        Artist Jean Shaw, another volunteer, has helped decorate the interior for years, since the house was bequeathed to the Milford Area Historical Society when owner James Kirgan died in 1983.

        “I got inspired by the place,” she said. “When we were left this wonderful home, we were flabbergasted. We want to preserve it for the kids. We bring through more than 1,000 of them a year. We want them to be a part of the house because they are the future.”

        As a result, each generation feels a connection to the city's mansion and its polished beech floors, fancy chandeliers and old family photographs that adorn the first-floor hallway walls.

        Originally, Promont also featured call bells in each room, argon gas fixtures and a central heating system. The tower acted as an air-conditioning system, allowing hot air to rise and escape through open windows in the top.

        “The house always had running water,” said volunteer guide Don Flum, Carol Flum's husband. “It was gravity-fed. The house also used gas. Many mansions of the period used gas. But in those days, with cruder ways to handle it, it was very explosive.”

        Today, Promont sits on 5 acres and serves as a living history museum. Immediately below, stores and cars have intruded on the view, yet a feeling of isolation remains on the hill.

        By studying black and white photographs, volunteers have worked for decades to restore the house to what they believe is its original appearance.

        “It's become a focus for our community,” Jean Shaw said. “Something to carry over for the future.”

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