Q: When was the house built? A: Shandy Hall was built in 1815 by Robert Harper. He built a four room frame house which he later expanded to 17 rooms. Q: Who was Robert Harper? A: Robert was the youngest child of Alexander Harper. In 1798, Alexander bought land from the Connecticut Land Company and moved the family from New York to the Western Reserve. The Harpers were the first family to settle in what is now Ashtabula County. Q: Why is the home called Shandy Hall? A: Robert’s daughter Ann had a favorite book, The Life and Opinions of Tristam Shandy, Gentleman by Laurence Sterne. The book featured eccentric characters, which Ann likened to her family. She began to call her home Shandy Hall, and the name became popular with the community and has remained for over 170 years. Q: Is the furniture original? A: Virtually all the pieces in the home belonged to the Harpers. The house looks much like it was in the 1830’s when Robert, his wife Polly, and their four daughters lived at Shandy Hall. Q: Was Shandy Hall a stop on the Underground Railroad? A: No. Robert Harper was a practicing attorney and took cases from slaveholders seeking the return of their runaway slaves. Slaves seeking freedom would have stayed away from Shandy Hall. Back to the top