Putnam Historic District

Putnam is a 45-acre neighborhood of Zanesville, Ohio, that began as the separate village of Springfield in 1801, laid out by Dr. Increase Mathews, Rufus Putnam and Levi Whipple. It competed with Zanesville to become Ohio's capital in 1809-10 and lost, was renamed Putnam in 1814, was incorporated in 1835 and was annexed to Zanesville in 1872. Of about 168 structures, roughly 118 date from the 19th century, mostly 1865 to 1900, and about 23 date from the first half of the century. Those early Federal and Greek Revival buildings sit close together to a degree now rare in Ohio. Notable examples include the 1805 stone Mathews House, the 1809 Stone Academy, the Buckingham House with its recessed Federal doorway, the Henry Mathews House with its portico modeled on the Temple of Minerva, and the 1835 Gothic Revival Presbyterian church. A historic zoning ordinance and design review board were established in 1973.