Historic Promont House Museum 

Me standing in front of Promont

Promont House in Milford, Ohio, has been listed on the National Register of Historic Places since 1980. It is an Italianate Victorian structure, built in 1865 by William Megrue. Megrue's Folly was the houses first name but when John Pattison bought the house, his wife found that vulgar and renamed it Promont - "house on the hill."

The house was purchased in 1879 by John Pattison, who became the 43rd governor of Ohio in 1905. The house, named the "finest house in Clermont County" when built, was received by the Greater Milford Area Historical Society in 1984 from the estate of James Kirgan.

Looking out from the tall Tower at Promont

Promont, once surrounded by about 50 acres of land, is now situated on five acres overlooking the village of Milford. Small gardens, labeled native Ohio trees and benches provide a restful view of the grounds and house. The interior of the house has been restored to the magnificence of the Victorian period when it was occupied by John Pattison.

Tree of Life Stained Glass Window

A large stained glass window on the front stairway, varied moldings in each room, Italian marble fireplaces, and a four story tower offering a panoramic view of the town, provide a trip back to the elegance of the Victorian Period. The stained glass window, now called the Tree of Life, was found in the basement during restoration. It was cleaned and "brought upstairs and back to life" hence given the name. I loved it. The sunlight shone brightly through giving the light a pleasing glow.

Over-All Thoughts on my visit to Promont:

Wow.  I first heard about Promont through the Ghost Hunter's Guide to Haunted Ohio by Chris Woodward. I knew it was somewhere close by but never got around to visiting the place until yesterday.

Unless you are actually looking for it, you will pass it right by. There is only a simple sign on the street, surrounded by gorgeous trees, letting you know Promont is up the hill. Trust me, take the turn and go, the place is truly amazing.

I read the stories and the history of Promont, a portion of which I added above. Even so, I wasn't expecting to see such an amazing home. The entire house is filled with photo's, clothing, furniture and more. All from the various era's the house was lived in.  The Milford Historical Society has done some remarkable restoration of the house, my favorite - removing all the lead paint from the beautiful red brick.


The entryway opens up to this huge staircase which has 23 steps going up - when most homes have about 11 or 12. The newel post had a mortgage button in it, which I had only heard about but never seen. Victorian practice was to keep your papers in the post and when you paid it off, you placed them or the ashes if you burned it, in the post and sealed it shut.

I was even given a peek into the offices/ library. Mistake! That library holds maps, geneology records and scrapbooks from the area as well as many books of the era - I told the tour guide I'd be back. I will probably have a very large bag with me too! Leonard L Harding Jr Library - Click that to read more on the library.

From the stories I read, the two main spots of "haunted," activity were the formal parlor, where bodies where laid in state. Pattison died in the master bedroom and both his wives also died in the house, as well as the master bedroom. While I didn't feel anything out of the ordinary in the parlor, I did feel a sense of "coming home comfort," from the master bedroom, close to the fainting couch. The entire house actually gave off that homey feeling, but it came over me strongly in that room.

The other spot that gave me a rather odd chill, was up on the second floor landing. There was a large tapestry hung on the wall over the large staircase, done in hues of deep greens, I think depicting a hunting scene. For whatever reason, even standing there in the bright sun, I got the creepy crawlies and wanted to move away.

Since it was our first visit, we opted for a guided tour of the house and learned a lot of the history as well as meeting a lovely lady who had painted some of the art currently hung there. The house is chock full of history going back to Revolutionary times and the walls are hung with photos of people, places and many things spanning the eras.

The photo I posted up there, of me in the stairwell, shows several landings - each of which is covered in photos - more then we had time to look at. Walking up to the top of the tower was a bit spooky, I don't like heights, but I am so glad I walked up, the view is spectacular and I could see what it would have been like to see it back in the day, with no treeline or streets - just a view from the top of a hill.  Also advantageous as a look out so the owners could see anyone coming closer to attack, indians were the main threat of that time.


Here is a picture of the formal parlor, where everyone was allowed to occupy. Children were usually kept out of the smaller back parlor which was full of both sparkly and fragile furniture and accesories. Above the piano is a heart shaped wreath made out of human hair. Back then, hair was collected in fine china containers for lockets and other keepsakes.

Yes, I see the orb at the top of the photo, but I think it's dust. I am not a huge orb fan *lol*



I was unaware that this area was even situated back in the Revolutionary era and to see just how many keepsakes Promont and Milford hold was truly memorable and eye opening.

I hope to go back again soon, when we have more time. We got there close to closing time so we didn't get to meander around as much as I'd have liked to. Also, since we were with a tour guide, I really didn't get a chance to open up my senses to see what else was there.

I usually don't feel at ease right off when walking into someone else's home. But Promont did capture something inside me as soon as I walked in.  I wanted to stay and SoCalCool wanted to buy it!  It is a lovely house, full of feelings like comfort and love. I felt it inviting me back and I will return again - to see what or who may be inviting me to learn more.