Many Historic Structures Connected to the Wright Family

    Springboro’s history has been preserved in many ways. One of them is through the preservation of a number of structures that the Wright family was responsible for building.

    Jonathan Wright, founder of Springboro, built a brick home on State Street, just a block off Main Street. There he lived with his family of five children: Mahlon, Josiah, Aron, Hannah, and Jesse. Later Josiah and his wife, Emily Thomas, lived in the house. The daughters of Josiah maintained the house through-out their lives. The structure has undergone many changes over the years and is now the Wright House Bed and Breakfast.

(This house was discussed in one of the Springboro City Notes Newsletters. where even more structures in town that are linked to the Wright family.)

    Mahlon Wright lived in a house at the northeast corner of South Main and Mill Streets and used his home to shelter slaves moving north on the Underground Railroad. The structure now located there was once a filling station and then the school bus garage. In 2005, the garage was converted a youth center for young people in Springboro, and until recently was a bicycle shop.

    The “stone church” located on South Main and State Sts. was built circa 1905, as the Springboro Universalist Church. Mahlon Wright, who was married to Ella Gregg, joined the Gregg family and others in the planning and building of this church. Since 1954, it has been home to several other Protestant congregations.

    The two white Italianiate Victorian houses located west on State Route 73 were built by Aron Wright. Aron lived in the house on the south side and his son Frederic later lived in the house on the north side. Frederic’s house is notable because of it currently hosts Kleather’s Pumpkin Patch. The Aron Wright House has been beautifully and accurately restored and is a local landmark, designated and protected by the City of Springboro.

    Shortly before his death in 1855, Jonathan Wright built a general store for his two sons, Mahlon and Josiah. The two-story structure with its second-story porches is still an important architectural part of the historical district of South Main Street. The Wrights and Siegfrieds operated the general store until 1930, when they sold the building to the Springboro Grange. It remained the Grange Hall until 1989, when it became an antique mall, then the Brass Pig Tea Room, and now is Magnolias on Main.

    The Wrights built three mills in Springboro. Five mills were built in historic Springboro, but no structures remain. The red mill on West Mill Street was a grist mill, the white mill on west State Route 73 was, also, a grist mill and a woolen mill was built on Factory Street which resulted in many fine woolen products, some of which still exist in Springboro homes.

    The Wright family remains interested in Springboro and its history and as late as 1963, they participated in the building of another structure. The Jonathan Wright Elementary School was built in his honor and dedicated with the blessing of Alfred J. Wright, then professor at the Ohio State University. Unfortunately, Professor Wright died before the dedication. Many Wright descendants still live in the Springboro area and continue to contribute to the preservation and promotion of Springboro’s history.

The Wright General Store - later Siegfried’s General Store, now Magnolia’s On Main