For more than 180 years, Andrews House has served many purposes – a family residence, a hospital, a university home, and now a community gathering place. Through every chapter, one theme has remained constant – people helping people.
Andrews House continues to fulfill its mission of hospitality, healing, education, and service, living out its enduring motto of People Strengthening People.
The story of Andrews House begins with Hiram Griswold Andrews, who arrived in Delaware from Worthington, Ohio, in 1831. After establishing a successful paper mill operation in Stratford, Andrews purchased property at the corner of Winter and Franklin Streets in 1844 and began construction of an elegant Greek Revival mansion.
Completed nearly two years later, the home featured distinctive Ionic columns and was modeled after family residences in New England and western Pennsylvania. More than a century later, it remains one of Delaware’s most recognizable historic landmarks.
In 1888, the mansion became home to the Samuel Lynbrand family, owners of the Delaware Chair Factory. Following the death of Isabella Lynbrand in 1901, the future of the property took an unexpected turn.
Jane Morris Case, a philanthropist and frequent visitor to Delaware, recognized the community’s need for a hospital. Through the generosity of her estate and the efforts of local physician Dr. A.J. Willey, the property was purchased in 1904 and transformed into Delaware’s first hospital.
Local churches, civic organizations, and community members joined together to renovate the mansion for its new purpose. Extensive improvements included new plumbing, electrical systems, patient wards, operating rooms, private rooms, and one of the area’s earliest hospital elevators.
The Jane M. Case Hospital officially opened on July 26, 1906. Within days, patients were being admitted and surgeries were underway. Over the next two decades, the hospital expanded from approximately 22 beds to 36 beds, serving generations of Delaware residents before relocating to the site that would later become Grady Memorial Hospital.
After the hospital moved to its new location, Andrews House entered another chapter of its history. In 1930, Ohio Wesleyan University’s Phi Kappa Psi fraternity made the building its home.
Students affectionately nicknamed the former servants’ quarters “The Gulch,” a name still recognized today. The house later became home to Tau Kappa Epsilon fraternity, remaining a center of student life until 1993.
In 1993, St. Peter’s Episcopal Church acquired the property and partnered with local organizations and community supporters to restore the historic structure. Years of wear were carefully addressed, returning the building to its former beauty while adapting it for modern community use.
Today, Andrews House stands as a symbol of Delaware’s rich history and enduring spirit of service.
For more than 180 years, Andrews House has served many purposes—a family residence, a hospital, a university home, and now a community gathering place.
Through every chapter, one theme has remained constant: people helping people. Andrews House continues to fulfill its mission of hospitality, healing, education, and service, living out its enduring motto:
People Strengthening People.
