[2] Born in 1833, George H. Marsh settled in Van Wert at the age of twelve with his father.

Growing to adulthood, he erected the present farmhouse in the first half of the 1860s; a two-story brick structure, it is a built in the plan of a cross.

According to locals, Marsh and his family were returning home from Fort Wayne, Indiana on a winter night and saw two impoverished children, and consequently his wife Hilinda suggested dedicating their estate to children such as those two.

Since that time, the school and home have served the community of Van Wert, while the original house has been converted into a museum.

[1] The property qualified for inclusion on the Register both because of its distinctive architecture and because of its connection to Marsh: he was one of Van Wert's leading citizens, and the school buildings are among the best Jacobethan structures in western Ohio.