King Mansion History

The King mansion was built in 1855 and was the first house built in Kings Mills.

The mansion’s owner, Ahimaaz King, was the founder and manager of the King powder company and Peter's cartridge company until he died in 1909. The businesses were located on opposite sides of the Little Miami River just over the hillside from Kings Mills. At the time this was the largest manufacturing establishment of its kind in the United States.

King patterned his mansion after his uncle's house in Xenia, Ohio. Originally the home sat on 84 acres, but, over the years, land sales and acquisitions have reduced that amount drastically. Early pictures of the house show an impressive entrance with gorgeous landscaping and an ice house to the west of the carriage house, ordinate grape arbors behind the house, a pergola on the west entrance, and a windmill for pumping water from a spring to a water tower east of the mansion. Eventually the pergola was removed and the open porch enclosed.

The house was built with gas lights that were later converted to electric. Two carriages and a sleigh can still be found on the upper floor of the carriage house.

The King mansion is on the National Register of Historic Places.

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For a detail report about the King Mansion click here.