Founder’s Row Tour

First Presbyterian:

When fifteen Scottish and Irish settlers gathered in a home on West Liberty Street in 1815 they probably couldn't have imagined what their small Presbyterian congregation would become. In 1848, as the congregation grew in number, land for the second church building at the corner of North Walnut and West North Streets was donated. In 1927, the cornerstone for a neo-gothic building was laid at the corner of College Ave and East Bowman Street, where the church still currently stands. Members were heavily involved in the establishment of the College of Wooster in 1866. Church member Ephraim Quinby gave 20 acres to the college and became one of the first trustees, while another church member and later college trustee, John Kauke, provided funds for an early classroom building. This classroom developed into an iconic structural symbol for the college and carries Kauke’s name.

Liggett-Freedlander House:

National Register of Historic Places marker as “Victoriana,” was the home of nineteenth-century Wooster businessman D.Q. Liggett. However, in 1918, Herman Freedlander, owner of Freedlander Department Store, purchased the home. 

The residence of two well-known businessmen from Wooster’s past, today the well-decorated grounds and ornate facade make the house both a great exemplar of Victorian architecture and a highlight of the many historic houses on Bever Street.