More Than 50 Years of Stewardship
The Women Behind the Restoration of Kelton House
When Grace Kelton, the last member of her family to live at 586 East Town Street, died in 1975, her will entrusted the Kelton property to The Columbus Foundation. She stipulated that her family home be preserved and used for educational purposes.
Historical Junior League records later described Grace’s vision as restoring the home as a living museum and decorative arts library.
In 1976, the Junior League of Columbus embraced that vision and took on what would become the largest project in the League’s history. Members did not simply provide financial support. They became deeply involved in bringing Kelton House back to life.
They raised funds, secured grants, worked with architects and preservation experts, catalogued Grace’s belongings, researched the Kelton family, restored furnishings, cared for the gardens, rehabilitated surrounding properties, and contributed countless hours of hands-on work.
The League also looked beyond Columbus for preservation expertise, working with noted Savannah preservationist James Arthur “Jim” Williams as a consultant on the restoration. Williams advised the League on historically appropriate furnishings, room arrangements, fabrics, and other restoration decisions. League members even traveled to Savannah for a historic preservation tour that benefited the Kelton House Restoration Fund and provided an opportunity to learn firsthand from preservation efforts there.
Grace had preserved an extraordinary record of her family’s life. Junior League volunteers carefully catalogued hundreds of objects and studied the photographs, letters, scrapbooks, and personal possessions she left behind. Members also worked to preserve and print more than 2,000 historic negatives, using them to identify people, furnishings, architectural changes, and generations of life at the house.
By 1978, Kelton House was officially “Open for Business,” welcoming the community while continuing to serve as the Junior League’s home. What began as the restoration of a historic house grew into a living museum, community gathering place, and investment in the revitalization of the surrounding Historic East Town Street neighborhood.
Telling the Story of the Underground Railroad
As research into the Kelton family continued, another important chapter of the home’s history emerged: the Kelton family’s involvement with the Underground Railroad and the antislavery movement.
The Junior League of Columbus worked to ensure that this history became an integral part of the Kelton House story. In the early 2000s, the League developed the Underground Railroad Learning Station, creating an immersive educational experience designed to help students understand the realities of slavery, the Underground Railroad, and the choices made by those who sought freedom and those who assisted them.
Since its creation, the program has helped generations of students experience history beyond the pages of a textbook and has become an important part of Kelton House’s educational mission.
The League’s commitment to preserving and sharing this history has also extended into advocacy, helping elevate awareness of Ohio’s Underground Railroad legacy beyond the walls of the museum.
Preserving Kelton House: A Timeline of Stewardship
For nearly 50 years, generations of Junior League of Columbus members have worked to preserve Kelton House and share the stories held within its walls.
Explore the milestones that transformed a family home into a living museum, educational resource, and treasured piece of Columbus history.
Fernando Cortez Kelton builds the family home at 586 East Town Street. The house remains connected to the Kelton family for generations, preserving furnishings, photographs, correspondence, and personal objects that would eventually provide an extraordinary window into nineteenth-century Columbus.
1975–1976 | Grace Kelton Leaves a Legacy
Following Grace Kelton’s death, her home and furnishings are left to The Columbus Foundation with the vision that the property be restored as a living museum and decorative arts library.
1976 | The Junior League Takes on Kelton House
The Junior League of Columbus embraces the Kelton House project. Members begin the enormous task of cataloguing the home’s contents, clearing and caring for the grounds, planning restoration, and raising the money needed to make the vision possible.
1976 | Restoration Gets Underway
The League hires architect Jon Boyes of Boyes & Underwood, brings in professional property management for the surrounding Franklin Avenue properties, begins construction, and seeks significant philanthropic support for the restoration.
1976 | Major Community Support
The Battelle Memorial Institute Foundation awards the Junior League $55,000 for the restoration of Kelton House. Junior League members work throughout the property, from fundraising and cataloguing artifacts to clearing gardens and painting trim.
1976 | National Register of Historic Places
On July 30, 1976, the East Town Street Historic District, which includes Kelton House, is added to the National Register of Historic Places.
1977–1978 | Learning From Preservation Experts
The League works with noted Savannah preservationist James Arthur “Jim” Williams, who advises members on the historic restoration of the house. His expertise helps guide decisions about furnishings, interiors, fabrics, and the overall interpretation of the historic rooms.
1978 | Kelton House Opens Its Doors
Kelton House begins its first year officially “Open for Business.” As restoration continues, the house begins welcoming community organizations, visitors, and events, marking its evolution from restoration project to community resource.
1978–1980 | Preserving the Kelton Story
Junior League historians and volunteers research the Kelton family and catalogue the collection Grace preserved. Members work through letters, photographs, scrapbooks, furnishings, and family records. They also print more than 2,000 historic photographic negatives to help document the people and history of the house.
1980 | The League’s Largest Project
Kelton House evolves into a living museum, community meeting place, event venue, headquarters for the Town-Franklin Neighborhood Association, and home of the Junior League of Columbus. The League calls it the largest project in its history.
1982 | A Victorian Christmas Tradition
The League introduces Victorian Christmas at Kelton House, inviting the community inside to experience the home decorated and interpreted as it might have been during the Kelton family’s time.
1986 | Continuing the Neighborhood Investment
The League secures additional philanthropic support to rehabilitate the historic Franklin Avenue properties surrounding Kelton House. The properties later become the English House, named in honor of Walter English, a longtime supporter of the Junior League of Columbus.
This work continues the League’s broader commitment to historic preservation and neighborhood investment that began a decade earlier.
2000 | Investing in Kelton House’s Future
The Junior League of Columbus establishes the Junior League Kelton House Fund at The Columbus Foundation, creating an endowment to provide long-term support for the preservation and operation of Kelton House.
2002 | The Underground Railroad Learning Station Opens
Building upon the Kelton family’s documented involvement in the Underground Railroad, the Underground Railroad Learning Station opens at Kelton House with support from the Junior League of Columbus.
Through interactive presentations and living-history interpretation, students learn about abolitionism, freedom seekers, and those who risked their lives to help them.
2002 | National Recognition
The Junior League of Columbus receives an Organizational Development Award from the Association of Junior Leagues International for “Preserving the Past, Building Excellence for the Future,” the capital campaign supporting Kelton House.
2022 | From Education to Advocacy
The Junior League helps advocate for the passage of Ohio House Bill 340, designating September as Underground Railroad Month in Ohio. The effort builds upon decades of Underground Railroad education at Kelton House and brings that history into the League’s advocacy work.
2023 | National Recognition for the Kelton House Legacy
The Junior League of Columbus receives the Advocacy & Public Policy Award from the Association of Junior Leagues International, recognizing its work with the Kelton House Underground Railroad Learning Station and advocacy surrounding House Bill 340.
2025 | Fire and Recovery
A fire significantly damages the Kelton House property. The museum closes while recovery and restoration efforts move forward.
The Junior League of Columbus continues working with preservation professionals, contractors, community partners, and supporters to protect the property, care for its collections, and plan for the future.
2026 | 50 Years of Stewardship
The Junior League of Columbus marks 50 years since taking on stewardship of Kelton House in 1976.
What began as an ambitious restoration project has grown into five decades of preservation, education, volunteerism, and community engagement.
Following the 2025 fire, the museum is currently closed while recovery and restoration efforts continue. The League remains responsible for carrying forward the mission that began in 1976: preserving the house, grounds, collections, and stories so they can continue educating and enriching the Columbus community.