Eli Kinney was born in Portsmouth, 1813, died in Kentucky, 1884. Nelson Evans History of Scioto County, Ohio (1903) states "In 1849, he (Eli Kinney) built the brick dwelling on the southwest corner of Court and Fourth Streets and lived there until his removal to Cincinnati".
The George D. Scudder School was built in 1929. It was considered a "modern platoon style" school with a gym, cafeteria, and separate areas for classrooms. George Drake Scudder was a prominent Portsmouth resident, attorney and school board member.
The school closed in 1973. The building was used for various Portsmouth City School and Scioto County Schools Administration offices for many years. The building was often referred to as the Scudder Administrative Center.
