The GHS is proud to announce a new book in our Pocket History series, Granville’s Tycoon: John Sutphin Jones and the Gilded Age, by Laura Evans. It is available now and can be ordered here.
During the last half of the nineteenth century, several American individuals amassed the greatest personal fortunes in history to that point. Chicago, New York, and Cleveland were among the seats of these empires, but so too—well above any reasonable expectation for a village of fewer than 1,000 people—was Granville, Ohio, thanks to local coal and transport baron John Sutphin Jones.
That Granville had a Gilded-Age tycoon among its residents is not merely a historical curiosity. His presence permanently left its mark on the village—physically in the form of buildings and spaces (including the Granville Inn, Bryn Du Mansion, and Monomoy Place), culturally in the feel and identity of the town—and continues to resonate more than a century later.
In this exhaustively researched volume, Laura Evans tells the story of Granville’s tycoon, a story that moves from Granville to Chicago, and from the shipping hub of Ashland, Wisconsin, to the resort community of Naples, Florida.
This volume also includes two shorter features:
“To the Manor Born: Sallie Jones Sexton is a Granville Legend,” by Wayne Piper, about John Sutphin Jones’ legendary daughter Sallie Jones Sexton, a fascinating character in her own right.
“Monomoy Place: A Brief History,” by James Hale, on the Joneses’ village residence and one of the most important houses in Granville.
E-book and Kindle versions of Granville’s Tycoon are available as well!
The Granville Historical Society’s Pocket History presents short, accessible single-topic volumes; the entire series can be purchased here.
