The Joseph Kirkwood House is a historic house in the village of Bridgeport, Ohio, United States. Originally home to one of the area's oldest families, it was built in the middle of the nineteenth century in a mix of architectural styles. Named a historic site in the 1980s, it has been converted into a health care facility. A native of Delaware, Robert Kirkwood emigrated to present-day

Belmont County Belmont County is a county in the U.S. state of Ohio. As of the 2020 United States Census, the population was 66,497. Its county seat is St. Clairsville. The county was created on September 7, 1801, and organized on November 7, 1801.McKelvey, ...

in 1789 after fighting in the American Revolution; he and his family were among the region's first settlers. Joseph his son erected the present house in 1846 and arranged for its expansion seven years later by the construction of a large

ell An ell (from Proto-Germanic *''alinō'', cognate with Latin ''ulna'') is a northwestern European unit of measurement, originally understood as a cubit (the combined length of the forearm and extended hand). The word literally means "arm", and ...

to the rear.Owen, Lorrie K., ed. ''Dictionary of Ohio Historic Places''. Vol. 1. St. Clair Shores: Somerset, 1999, 63. Set on a foundation of sandstone, the wood-and-brick house is covered with a metal roof., Ohio Historical Society, 2007. Accessed 2014-02-17. The house combines academic and popular architectural styles: the basic plan is that of an I-house, a vernacular construction mode, although Greek Revival styling is present, especially in the careful symmetry of the five-

bay A bay is a recessed, coastal body of water that directly connects to a larger main body of water, such as an ocean, a lake, or another bay. A large bay is usually called a Gulf (geography), gulf, sea, sound (geography), sound, or bight (geogra ...

facade. Nine windows fill all bays in both

stories Story or stories may refer to: Common uses * Story, a narrative (an account of imaginary or real people and events) ** Short story, a piece of prose fiction that typically can be read in one sitting * Story (American English), or storey (British ...

, except for the post and lintel-surrounded main entrance in the center of the first story. The fenestration on the side of the original house and on the addition is more irregular: on the second story, a single window sits under the gable, separated by large amounts of brick from a trio of windows at the rear of the ell. Chimneys are placed at both ends of the roofline on the original house, with another such structure in the ell; the roof itself is metal. In early 1986, the Kirkwood House was listed on the National Register of Historic Places; its connection to Joseph Kirkwood qualified it for designation, as did its historically significant architecture. It is one of two National Register-listed locations in Bridgeport: although located largely in Wheeling, West Virginia across the

Ohio River The Ohio River is a long river in the United States. It is located at the boundary of the Midwestern and Southern United States, flowing southwesterly from western Pennsylvania to its mouth on the Mississippi River at the southern tip of Illino ...

, the

Wheeling Island Historic District Wheeling Island Historic District is a national historic district located on Wheeling Island in Wheeling, Ohio County, West Virginia. The district includes 1,110 contributing buildings, 5 contributing sites, 2 contributing structures, and 3 cont ...

includes the Aetnaville Bridge, which extends into Bridgeport.Sands, Patricia A.
National Register of Historic Places Inventory Nomination Form: Wheeling Island Historic District
'. National Park Service, 1991-09, 7. By the time of listing, the Kirkwood House was no longer used as a typical residence, having been converted into a group home for the

mentally retarded Intellectual disability (ID), also known as general learning disability in the United Kingdom and formerly mental retardation,Rosa's Law, Pub. L. 111-256124 Stat. 2643(2010). is a generalized neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by signifi ...

, "Thresholds to Tomorrow".

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kirkwood, Joseph, House Houses completed in 1846 Houses in Belmont County, Ohio National Register of Historic Places in Belmont County, Ohio Greek Revival houses in Ohio Healthcare in Ohio Medical and health organizations based in Ohio Houses on the National Register of Historic Places in Ohio Intellectual disability organizations