Eldon House

Eldon House, originally called Eldon Terrace, was built for John and Amelia Harris in 1834. John Harris had been declared Treasurer for the District earlier that year, and oral history states a 13-acre property was given to him as part of his salary. John and Amelia established a home here, moving in at the end of September 1834 with eight children, the last of their kids were born here in 1836 and 1839. The Harris Family would live at Eldon House for 4 generations, 125 years in total, passing it through various family members and altering the house to change with technology and design trends. In 1877, one of the largest alterations to the house took place, when Edward Harris of the second generation added a large extension to the home, bringing the square footage of the house to just under 10,000 square feet. Edward’s brother, George Harris, took over the house in the 1890s and along with his heiress wife, Lucy Ronalds Harris, was able to afford technological advancements, like electricity, and to redecorate with colonial artifacts collected from the family’s many world travels. Milly and Ronald Harris inherited the home upon their father’s passing in 1923. Ronald and his wife Lorna would raise their three children in the home along with Milly. The fourth generation became the last to grow up in Eldon House, moving away in the 1950s. Milly remained in the home until her passing on December 19, 1959, becoming Eldon House’s last and longest resident.