About John Leist

John Leist was not just a master builder of early 19^th century Federal style brick homes. He was a War of 1812 veteran and the son of a Revolutionary War veteran; he was a lawyer, a pioneering settler, and the first justice of the peace in his township; he served as an early Ohio state legislator, a member of the Electoral College, a state Canal Commissioner, and the co-founder of the first university in Central Ohio--now known as Capital University. In short, he was one of the most prominent citizens of Fairfield County throughout much of the 19th century.

Between 1817 and 1827, Leist built at least four homes in Fairfield County that look very similar to this one--they are known as the Valentine Reber house, the Leist-Mathias house & the Royalton house. Another area home called the Joshua Stevenson house is thought to have also been built by Leist.

This house at Dutch Hollow was Leist's personal residence and was built in 1827 using sandstone quarried on the property and bricks that were fired on-site. At the time the home anchored a 160-acre farmstead.