Join me as I visit the sites in the Ohio History Connection network! This month’s trip took me to Our House Tavern in Gallipolis.

A beautiful example of Federal-style architecture, Our House Tavern was built in 1819 by Henry Cushing and his sister Elizabeth to serve as a tavern, inn and gathering place for locals in Gallipolis. Today’s museum tells the story of the tavern, as well as the history of Gallipolis, which was settled in 1790 by the “French 500”—a group of French aristocrats, merchants and artisans fleeing the violence of the French Revolution.

Henry used to tell people to “come on over to our house” and the name stuck. For many years, Our House was the center of the community’s social life. Prominent members of the town even entertained General Lafayette at Our House when he stopped in Gallipolis during his tour of America in 1825. He famously left his jacket at the tavern—today it is part of the museum’s collection.

Visitors can tour the tavern and explore exhibits and artifacts that tell the story of Gallipolis from 1790-1890. The museum’s collection is eclectic and fascinating. You’ll see everything from a document signed by Thomas Jefferson and the aforementioned coat belonging to General Lafayette to a piece of bread from 1810.

Address: Our House Tavern is located at 432 1^st Avenue in Gallipolis, OH.

How much time: I’d budget about an hour to explore the museum.

Truda’s Tips: I have several tips to make your visit successful! First, be sure to take advantage of the tours that the staff and volunteers provide. Their insights will bring the tavern to life.

Be sure to visit the Summer Kitchen, located in the lovely courtyard behind the tavern.

Our House Tavern is cash or check only, so plan ahead when visiting. As an Ohio History Connection member, your admission is free, but you may want to bring cash or your checkbook to buy a souvenir.

Visitors can park on the street in front of the museum.

The Ohio History Connection strives to meet ADA requirements for handicapped accessibility. However, historic structures like Our House Tavern provide challenges that make it difficult to provide complete access to all visitors. Please call the site with specific questions and concerns.

Kid Friendly? For elementary school aged kids and up.: Our House Tavern has so much for kids to explore. I think they would love learning about tavern life and seeing the dolls, trinkets and old photographs. My kids would have loved scrambling up the stairs to visit each floor of the museum.

I think younger kids’ little legs would have a hard time with the stairs. Also, the museum is definitely not stroller friendly.

Lunch: Every good road trip includes a great lunch! While there isn’t a picnic area on site, Our House Tavern is just down the street from Gallipolis City Park and the Gallipolis Riverfront Boat Access. Both would make great places to eat a packed lunch.

After consulting with the site staff, we decided to head to The Colony in downtown Gallipolis. It’s about a five-minute walk from Our House Tavern and is housed in an historic movie theater. The menu features a variety of burgers, sandwiches, pizzas, salads and pasta, as well as daily specials. I had the Buffalo Chicken wrap special, which featured The Colony’s delicious dip wrapped in pizza dough. My colleagues had burgers and the fish & chips. The kitchen was accommodating of my coworker’s food allergy. We all thoroughly enjoyed our meals and would heartily recommend The Colony, both for the food as well as the historic atmosphere.

Before we headed home, we decided to take the 10-minute drive across the river to Point Pleasant, WV to see the Mothman statue. If you aren’t familiar with the Mothman, it’s a local cryptid that the town of Point Pleasant has adopted and commercialized. In addition to the statue, there’s also a museum, shops and other attractions dedicated to the Mothman legend. We took some photos of the statue and grabbed a coffee at The Coffee Grinder, where you can find Mothman cookies in addition to coffee drinks, baked goods and lunch foods.

For more information: To learn more about Our House Tavern, you can visit our website. Be sure to note the days and hours of operation.

Want to make a day of it? Our House Tavern is located in Gallia County. Discover everything the area has to offer by visiting the Visit Gallia website.

Ohio History Connection members enjoy free general admission to Fort Recovery and the rest of the historic sites and museums in our network. Visit ohiohistory.org/join for more details!