Built by William and Florence McGervey between 1870 and 1875, and originally located at Market and Detroit Streets. William Raper McGervey (1850–1912) and his wife, Florence McGervey, were prominent citizens in Xenia, Ohio, during the late 19th century.

Business and Social Prominence

• Banking and Business: William Raper McGervey was highly active in Xenia’s financial development. He was one of the early organizers and stakeholders of the Citizens' National Bank in Xenia.

• Insurance Agency: Along side his banking endeavors, he co-founded the McGervey and LeSourd Insurance Agency. His agency was prestigious enough to be the very first occupant of Xenia's landmark, five-story Steele Building wheniit opened in 1896.

• Social Life: The McGerveys were central to Xenia’s upper-class social scene. Florence regularly hosted high-profile community events at their home, including meetings for the Xenia Woman’s Music Club.

  The McGervey House

  Between 1870 and 1875, the couple constructed an elegant Victorian townhome originally located at the corner of North King and West Church Streets.

  • The Turret Debate: In 1890, right before the family relocated, a distinct architectural turret (or tower) was added to the home. While local government archives attribute this addition to the McGerveys, some local historians believe it was added shortly after by the home's next owners.

  • Relocation: In 1896, the McGerveys sold the property to Patrick and Elizabeth Trebein Flynn. Decades later, after the historic 1974 Xenia Tornado devastated the area, the home was completely uprooted and moved down the street by the Historical Society to preserve it. Today, it is known as the Trebein-Flynn House.

  • The Turret Debate: In 1890, right before the family relocated, a distinct architectural turret (or tower) was added to the home. While local government archives attribute this addition to the McGerveys, some local historians believe it was added shortly after by the home's next owners.

  • In 1896, the McGerveys sold the property to Patrick and Elizabeth Trebein Flynn.

   

Patrick Henry Flynn and his first wife, Elizabeth A. Trebein Flynn, were prominent figures in Xenia, Ohio's industrial and civic history. In 1896, they purchased the elegant Victorian townhouse originally built by William and Florence McGervey. The home actually takes its name from its second owner, Patrick Flynn, a business man who owned the Xenia Shoe Manufacturing Company and was listed in the Dictionary of National Biography. Flynn married two well-heeled women in succession, Elizabeth and later Bertha, both sisters from the wealthy Trebein family that owned a distillery and factories in the small village that bore their name. Given the fact that the Trebein name also served as a locality, it still survives locally as a designator on several Greene
County roadways in the vicinity of Beavercreek and Yellow Springs. Purchased by Patrick Flynn & Elizabeth Trebein Flynn B, turret added, approx 1900.

• Shoe Manufacturing: Patrick Flynn was a highly successful local businessman who served as the owner and operator of the Xenia Shoe Manufacturing Company. His success in commerce earned him a listing in the Dictionary of National Biography.

• The Trebein Family Wealth: Elizabeth came from the wealthy and well-heeled Trebein family. Her father, F.C. Trebein, owned a massive milling, distillery, and factory operation. The family's operations were so massive that they anchored a small Greene County village named after them (Trebein Village or Trebein's Station), located between Beavercreek and Yellow Springs.

The McGervey House & The Tower

• Longest Occupants: Patrick Flynn and his family owned and occupied the Victorian home for the longest period of any family.

• The Tower Addition: While municipal records sometimes differ, local historical consensus credits Patrick Flynn with adding the home's most defining feature—the grand architectural tower/turret area—around the year 1900 to give the home its full Queen Anne Victorian flair.

• A Family Connection: Elizabeth tragically passed away relatively young. Following her death, Patrick Flynn later remarried her sister, Bertha Trebein, keeping the family estate closely tied to the Trebein lineage.

Civic Legacy and Shawnee Park

Patrick and Elizabeth's most visible contribution to Xenia today is Shawnee Park.

The Land Gift: In 1925, Patrick Flynn donated 10 acres of land to the Xenia Recreation Association.

• The Memorial: The land was donated under strict instructions to be used exclusively as a city park to serve as a permanent memorial to his late wife, Elizabeth Trebein Flynn.

• Shawnee Park Pavilion: The city rallied to fund the park's development, building its famous central pavilion in 1928, which remains one of Ohio’s premier classical park designs.

Obtained by GCHS and moved to current location in 1977.  The home originally sat at the corner of Market and Detroit Streets in Xenia, but was moved to its present site on West Church in the aftermath of the 1974 tornado that devastated much of the city. The home is a mid-1870s Queen Anne-style.