{"nrhp_refnum":"01000199","name":"Clemens, James and Sophia, Farmstead","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"467 Stingley Rd.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Palestine","county":"Darke County","state":"OH","lat":40.07756296400004,"lon":-84.79517293199996,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"2001-03-15","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Black"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A four-acre farmstead at 467 Stingley Road in Liberty Township near Palestine, Darke County, Ohio, with a two-story brick I-House with Greek Revival details and a mid-19th-century English barn. The house is thought to date between 1822 and 1850.","why_significant":"The farmstead is argued to be one of the oldest and last remaining agricultural resources in Longtown, one of Ohio's earliest black settlements. It was the home of James Clemens (1781-1870), founder of the settlement, who helped start the first school, donated land for a church and established a cemetery. The Clemens family were also conductors on the Underground Railroad and Civil War soldiers.","narrative":"Set in the northwest corner of Darke County, near the Indiana line, this four-acre farmstead holds a two-story brick I-House and an English barn from the mid-1800s. The house has a five-bay facade, central hall, Greek Revival cornice and returns, six-over-six windows, and classical wooden fireplace surrounds inside. It faces south over open fields rather than toward the road. James Clemens, a free man of color, bought land in the area in 1818 and acquired this adjoining parcel in 1822, living here until his death in 1870. He is described as founding father of the Longtown settlement, which peaked near 900 people around 1880. Clemens helped start the first school, gave land for a Wesleyan church and established a cemetery. His family worked as farmers, ministers, teachers and businessmen, and served as Underground Railroad conductors. The property is the first Longtown site nominated, and the house has stood vacant for about twenty years.","period_of_significance":"1822-1880","architect_builder":null,"architectural_style":"Mid 19th Century/Greek Revival; Other: Classic I-House","criteria":["A","B"],"status_note":"The house has been vacant for about 20 years but retains its interior integrity, including two original wood fireplace surrounds.","vacant_flag":true,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:52:07.627602-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_OH/01000199.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/01000199/fe856cd3d0-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/01000199/fe856cd3d0-1600.webp","licence":"Public domain","author":"Nyttend","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:James_and_Sophia_Clemens_Farmhouse.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Nyttend</a>, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:James_and_Sophia_Clemens_Farmhouse.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/71987997","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_and_Sophia_Clemens_Farmstead","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q6146017"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/ohio/darke-county/clemens-james-and-sophia-farmstead-01000199/"}