Philip Gunckel and three other men led settlers from Berks County, Pennsylvania, to Ohio and founded Germantown in 1804. In 1814 he platted 32 acres, and the historic buildings and unique alley system within the eight and one half blocks of the downtown district became known as The Gunckel Town Plat, an area listed on the National Historic Registry. Known as the Proprietor of Germantown, Gunckel built this Federal-style house in the heart of the Gunckel Town Plat for his youngest daughter, Elizabeth. The house was originally the residence of Elizabeth and her husband, Dr. Christian Espich, and its west wing was added to serve as his office until 1854. It was updated to Victorian-Italianate in the late 19th Century, occupied by Dr. and Mrs. John Travis from 1890 to 1941, and purchased in 1996 by Lynn and Bonnie Gunckel Koogle, the fourth great granddaughter of Philip.