Mcguffey House Tour Essay

Mcguffey House Tour Essay

Jeremy Armbruster AMS 205H McGuffey Museum Tour I just returned from a tour of the William Holmes McGuffey Museum, a national historic landmark. I must begin by stating that previous to the tour, I had no idea Miami’s campus had such a neat piece of history accessible to anyone and everyone who wanted to learn about it. I knew Miami wasestablished in 1809, but was oblivious to the fact that a building a few years shy of being 200 years old stood so close to me. The tour tied in nicely with what I had been learning in my American Studies class, and it was really exciting to actually see everything instead of just talking about it. So why would William McGuffey have chosen this location for his house? The location is situated near a fairly main road, making it accessible even at his time. The location is also close enough to the campus to make it a short walking distance, but not too close that it would be in the center of everything, causing commotion and noise. There obviously would not have been as many buildings around the house that are there today, so it was just at the right distance from campus. The topography is relatively flat, although there is a slight decline towards the West. In relation to the sun, the front door is on the East end of the house. This would be beneficial so that when people are leaving in the morning, they can get a good view of the sun. Also, since the master bedroom is on the western end of the house, the sunlight wouldn’t come blindingly into the windows, thus waking the occupants up. The house was built with wood from huge trees surrounding the area. The tour guide showed me the kitchen table, which was made from only one piece of wood, proving that the trees that once inhabited the area were quite large in size. The front of the house is composed of brick, while the back is white-painted wood. The fenestration appears to be somewhat symmetric except for the occasional door throwing things off, making it a tad asymmetric....

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