The Harris Dental Museum is a small brick building in the village of Bainbridge in Ross County,

Ohio Ohio () is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. Of the List of states and territories of the United States, fifty U.S. states, it is the List of U.S. states and territories by area, 34th-l ...

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. Built as a residence in 1815, it once housed the first

dental school A dental school (school of dental medicine, school of dentistry, dental college) is a tertiary educational institution—or part of such an institution—that teaches dental medicine to prospective dentists and potentially other dental auxiliaries ...

in the United States, and it is now operated as a museum.Owen, Lorrie K., ed. ''Dictionary of Ohio Historic Places''. Vol. 2.

St. Clair Shores St. Clair Shores is a suburban city bordering Lake St. Clair in Macomb County of the U.S. state of Michigan. It forms a part of the Metro Detroit area, and is located about northeast of downtown Detroit. Its population was 59,715 at the 2010 ...

: Somerset, 1999, 1217-1218. A native of

Pompey, New York Pompey is a town in the southeast part of Onondaga County, New York. The population was 7,080 at the time of the 2010 census. The town was named after the Roman general and political leader Pompey by a late 18th-century clerk interested in the Cla ...

, John Harris settled in the Ohio community of Madison in 1819; after practicing medicine with a specialty in dental work, he moved to Bainbridge and soon embarked on training young doctors. Unlike most teachers of medicine at this time, Harris paid great attention to dentistry. In later years, his students continued his enthusiasm for the subject by establishing several more permanent dental schools; among these students was his brother Chapin, who founded the

Baltimore College of Dental Surgery The University of Maryland School of Dentistry is the dental school of the University System of Maryland. It was founded as an independent institution, the Baltimore College of Dental Surgery, in 1840 and was the birthplace of the Doctor of Dent ...

, the first formal dental college in the United States. Today, Harris is recognized as the pioneer of American dental education because of his emphasis on teaching dentistry, and his former dental school is a museum operated by the Ohio Dental Association. Purchased by the association in 1938, it opened as a museum in 1968 as the Dr. John Harris Dental Museum.Biography of John Harris and MuseumMedical Heritage Center
via OhioLINK, n.d. Accessed 2010-09-01. As such, it has been restored to an almost original condition, and tours are given to members of the public. The museum structure is a small brick building on Bainbridge's western side. One

story 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 ...

tall with an ell on one side, it is covered with an asphalt roof.,

Ohio Historical Society Ohio History Connection, formerly The Ohio State Archaeological and Historical Society and Ohio Historical Society, is a nonprofit organization incorporated in 1885. Headquartered at the Ohio History Center in Columbus, Ohio, Ohio History Connect ...

, 2007. Accessed 2010-09-01. In recognition of its historic significance, the dental school was listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic ...

in 1973 under the name of "Dr. John Harris Dental School." One of four places in or around Bainbridge to be included on the Register, it has been rated as being significant throughout Ohio's history. File:HarrisDentalMuseumPlaque.JPG, Plaque dedicated on November 24, 1940, on the front of museum.

References

External links

Bainbridge Dental Museum and Historical Society

Local tourism information about Dr. John Harris Dental Museum
{{NRHP in Ross County, Ohio Houses completed in 1815 Defunct schools in Ohio Dental schools in Ohio Historic house museums in Ohio Museums established in 1968 Houses on the National Register of Historic Places in Ohio Museums in Ross County, Ohio National Register of Historic Places in Ross County, Ohio U.S. Route 50 Medical museums in the United States Dental museums Houses in Ross County, Ohio