 | Clifton Opera House The Opera House was built in the late 1800s. Originally known as the Town Hall, it has been the scene of minstrel shows, medicine shows, school plays, church activities, style shows, dinners, dances, weddings, meetings and basketball games. Sources indicate the tower was taken down in the 1920s because of a problem with bats. The building was not used for many years, then, in 1978, part of the north wall fell in. Howard Printz, then President of the Clifton Historical Society, began raising funds to save the historic building. Thanks to his dedicated work, the Opera House is restored and continues to be a valuable part of the Clifton community.
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| From: History of Springfield & Clark Co., OH, Wm. Rockel, 1908 | |
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| Clifton Opera House in 2000 |
This is the oldest building in Clifton, built between 1805 and 1810 by William Bradfute and his uncle, John Knox. These photos were taken in 2006 during a complete renovation of the building by its new owner. While these days it doesn't look much like a tower, it once had a wooden structure attached to the side to extend its height enough to manufacture shot. Molten lead was dropped through a sieve down what is now the chimney |
General Whiteman’s House Built 1814 - 1816 from stone quarried on the property, this was the home of General Benjamin Whiteman and his family. It is now on the National Registry of Historic Homes. The man seated is Benjamin Whiteman, grandson of General Benjamin Whiteman. The boy beside him is his son, John Payne Whiteman, born 1878; the lady seated is Benjamin’s wife, Edith; the young girl is their daughter. The men standing are unidentified.
Photo courtesy of Clifton Historical Society |
Stagecoach Inn circa 1875 Built circa 1835, this building has seen many uses. It was originally an inn on the stage coach route and, among other things, has been a boarding house, restaurant, grocery store, telephone office, Post Office, and housing for college students. It is now a private residence. The man seated in the doorway is John Wesley Confarr. Visible at the right side of the building is the stone stoop used by stage coach passengers to get on and off of the coach. Today there is a beautiful iron fence surrounding the property, it has a nice yard and has been lovingly restored. |
Built around 1815 on the alley behind the Confarr residence on Clinton St. in Clifton. Nailed to the shop door is a Horse Racing Schedule dated 1891. During a 2006 renovation of the house, the fireplace surround was removed revealing the autograph of J. Lloyd Confarr on the wall behind it. The small child in this photograph is John Lloyd Confarr who was born in 1879. Seated is his grandfather, John Confarr, Clifton's first blacksmith and father of the other men. At the left of the photo is William Confarr, blacksmith. In the middle is John Wesley Confarr, grocer. On the right is Charley Confarr, blacksmith and father of the little boy. The dog is unidentified. |
The Shot Tower
and into a vat of cold water. The cold water caused the drops of hot lead to form into spheres. It was owned by the Freeman family for nearly 100 years during which time it had several rooms added on. The photo on the right shows elements of the original structure. Once the additions were peeled away it became obvious that at one time there was no inner staircase, the only way to get to the second floor was from outside.
Back view of Whiteman's house. In the above photo of the front, the house appears to be two stories tall. In the photo of the back you can see it is built on a hill and has three floors. Visible in the bottom right is the Spring House. This house has been visited by most of the people prominent in the area's history including Chief Tecumseh, Simon Kenton and William Henry Harrison. 
Confarr Blacksmith Shop