Thomas Gaff House

— A National Historic Landmark —

Originally called Forest Hill, Hillforest was completed in 1855 for local industrialist and steamboat owner Thomas Gaff and his family. Emigrants from Scotland in 1811, the six Gaff children moved with their mother to Aurora in the 1840s and became civic and professional leaders locally and in the Greater Cincinnati area. Thomas Gaff and his brothers participated in local politics and maintained diverse business interests including brewing, distilling, mining, banking, farming and milling. Hillforest was the home of Thomas's wife, daughters, siblings, and grandchildren until it was sold out of the family in 1926.

Hillforest is Italianate in style, characterized by ornately carved brackets supporting broad overhangs, corner quoins, slender columns, wide porches, and a circular belvedere. Architect Isaiah Rogers, father of the modern hotel, designed the unique house, considered to be the only remaining structure of its kind. The fourteen room, symmetrical interior reflects the grand life of upper class Victorian culture. High ceilings, elaborate wall treatments, and grand central hallways create an airy mood, dissimilar to many contemporary structures. Walk through windows to porches and balconies afford a spectacular view of the Ohio River and the town below.

The partially wooded ten acre site was at one time elaborately landscaped in a naturalistic style with carriage and foot paths, fruit trees, and terraced vegetable and flower gardens. A gazebo perched on the hillside above the house and a footbridge and small pond completed the rear landscaping. Rockeries to the front and side of the house were constructed from glacial rock. To the east of the house stood a carriage house and green house.

Since 1956 the Hillforest Historical Foundation has owned and cared for Hillforest and its continued restoration. Declared a National historic Landmark in 1992, Hillforest is a graceful reminder of Ohio Valley History and is the legacy of Aurora's rivertown heritage.

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Show me all markers in:  Aurora, IN  |  Dearborn County  |  47001  |  Indiana  |  United States of America

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