A native of New York, Walling settled in northeastern Ohio in 1843, where he began to publish a local newspaper. After serving as a clerk for the Ohio House of Representatives, he and his wife Sarah moved to Circleville in 1863; there they bought land and soon began to erect a house.[2] Completed in 1869, its brick walls rest on a foundation of sandstone and are covered with an asphalt roof.[3] Elements such as a bracketedcornice and a pitched roof with prominent eaves make the house distinctively Italianate; it is one of Circleville's best Italianate houses.[2]
Major dates in the Walling House's history include Walling's death in 1896, his widow's death in 1922,[2] and its designation as a historic site in 1987. In that year, the house was listed on the National Register of Historic Places, qualifying because of its connection to Walling and because of its well-preserved historic architecture. Two other houses in the same block, known as the Morris and William Marshall Houses, are also listed on the National Register.[1]
