[1] John Wilson settled in present-day Washington Township in 1807, having come from Warren County with his family.

Here he built his homestead, including the county's first brick house, and he quickly grew in wealth.

His daughter Sally married James Lenox, a native of Virginia who moved to Washington Township in 1845; their son was Hamilton Clay ("H.C.") Lenox, a well-known resident of the area who inhabited the house until his unexpected death on August 20, 1893.

[2] Lenox's Dutch Colonial house is a two-and-a-half story building with a gambrel roof.

[1] As the county's oldest brick house, it was seen as a prominent example of settlement-era architecture in its vicinity.