The Mountain House was built in the early
1850’s by Louis Meganhoffen, a German immigrant who fled his
country during the Freedom from Persecution Act of 1846. Wine bottle
shaped windows and remnants of hillside terracing evidence the
home’s original use as one of the first wineries in Ohio. Dard
Hunter purchased the property in 1919. After renovations, he quickly
utilized the 1830’s wing of the house for his letterpress
printing studio which he appropriately named the “Mountain House
Press.”
Dard Hunter’s remarkable career as an
artist, designer and illustrator had already been established through
his work with the Roycrofters and in London and Vienna. But it would be
here at Mountain House that he was to pursue a study that would
eventually establish him as the world’s foremost authority on the
history and craft of papermaking.
In 1923, Hunter announced the publication of Old Papermaking which was
written, set and printed entirely by hand at the Mountain House Press.
Publication of this extraordinary volume brought instant acclaim and
recognition from artists, collectors, papermakers and scholars around
the world.
Over the next five decades, eight masterful
publications would be printed at the Mountain House Press by Hunter and his son,
Dard II, who carried on the legacy in many ways, including the
publication of his own magnum opus, The
Life Work of Dard Hunter. Today, over
thirty years after his death, Hunter is still recognized as the
world’s foremost authority on paper and papermaking.
The Mountain House stands today as testimony to
what an individual can accomplish who has the focus, direction and
inclination to follow their passions. Each resident has left his mark -
from the builder, Meganhoffen, who established the terraced vineyards
on the steep slope in front of the house; to Dard II, whose masterful
furniture adorns every room; to Dard Sr., whose archive of over 10,000
letters and an equal number of books serve as a distinguished archive
of papermaking history. It is now our responsibility to ensure that the
house and its contents remain secure for generations to come.
The Mountain House and Dard
Hunter Studios are open for tours. The
Dard Hunter Library and Archives are also available for research.
Please contact us for more information.
