One of the earliest discussions between a renter and a landlord in Athens, Ohio
It’s often said that when the founders of Ohio University established the first university of the Northwest Territory back in 1804, the most difficult part of the process was trying to rent an apartment in town.
Here is how the exchange with one of the founders and a landlord likely occurred:
“Helloith sir, I would like to inquire about renting an apartment so that I may start a great university,” one of the founders said.
“Well, most of our Ohio University rental housing properties are rented out 10 months in advance, even though you haven’t even started the university yet. That’s just the way the market is. We do have an open unit that you can sublease from a Mr. Appleseed, Johnny I believe, who stopped in here for a while. It’s a little seedy, but it’s nice,” the landlord replied.
“Welleth, that sounds like it might be something I can workith with then,” the founder saidith.
“All right then, Ok, do you have a horse? If so, you are going to need a horse deposit. Every unit has one post to hitch your horse to, but if you need a post for a second horse that will cost you extra,” the landlord explained. “All units come standard with our state-of-the-art outhouses. Let’s see, no hanging bearskins on your walls, no porch couches and if you sign a lease today you can have one of these coonskin caps with the name of our rental company on the front, Northwest Territory Apartments,” the landlord said.
“What is a porch couch?” the founder responded.
After that, the founder went on to rent the apartment and then start an amazing university that brings new renters to town every year. The rental process is easier today and a lot has changed, but your landlords still don’t want you to hang any bearskins on your walls.
Contact us if you wish for a more modern re-telling of this story of a quest for Ohio University rental housing. University Rentals has been making it easy for students and families to find just the right Athens Ohio rental housing since 1992.
We are proud to offer the finest rentals in the area, and our professional and friendly staff members will help you find just the right rental unit to fit your needs and we hope you will contact us today.
We can’t promise that we can find you a rental unit with an extra post for hitching your horse, but we can promise that we will find you a high-quality rental unit that will be a comfortable and safe home.