The remnants of the Benua House are what remains of an impressive home built by William and Emily Benua in the early 1960s.  It was around this same time that the dam was constructed to create Lake Emily in the valley below the home. The Benua’s originally purchased 216 acres in this area in 1930; the property was free of structures and a majority of the land had been logged and cleared of all marketable timber. In 1934 a cabin was added to the property where the family spent many weekends and time during the summer. From 1947-1954, William and Emily Benua purchased land holdings in both Hocking and Fairfield Counties eventually growing the size of their property to over 1200 acres. While the Benua Family owned the land, there was extensive white and red pine planting. Mr. Benua was a known conservationist in Hocking and Fairfield County. During the late 1960s, he was instrumental in preventing the construction of a reservoir by the U.S. Army Corp of Engineers in the Clear Creek Valley. In 1991, the will of Emily Benua donated 661 acres of land to The Nature Conservancy which was later transferred to Columbus and Franklin County Metro Parks. William and Emily Benua’s conservation efforts during ownership have significantly contributed to the preservation and beauty of Clear Creek Metro Park.

The Benua family refers to the home and surrounding area as “Green Mansions.” The name was inspired by William Henry Hudson's 1904 book Green Mansions: A Romance of the Tropical Forest, which was a favorite of Mr. Benua.

Visitors to this area can picnic, read about the history, and see bat boxes around the site.