{"nrhp_refnum":"74001538","name":"Stringer Stone House","other_names":["Bayless,John B.,House"],"category":"building","location":{"address":"224 Warren St.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Rayland","county":"Jefferson County","state":"OH","lat":40.187351560000025,"lon":-80.68815425799994,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1974-07-10","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Architecture"],"significance_levels":["state"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A 3½-story dark-grey cut sandstone house at 224 Warren Street in Rayland, Jefferson County, Ohio, completed in 1836 for John B. Bayless.","why_significant":"The nomination calls it one of the largest stone houses in Ohio and possibly the finest of its kind in the state. It cites its unusually good condition, all-stone construction from ground to chimney cap, its orientation away from the road, and its distinctive bridged chimneys and flattened ridge line. A proposed highway route passing a few yards in front of the house also made recognition urgent.","narrative":"Built in 1836 by John B. Bayless, who came to Ohio from Maryland in 1829, this massive sandstone house in Rayland rises three and a half stories above a flood-prone river flat. Its main doors sit at second-floor level, front and rear, probably because of river flooding, and there is no basement. The 18-inch-thick ashlar walls carry six-over-six and twelve-over-twelve sash windows. A steeply pitched gable roof is interrupted by bridged double end chimneys, leaving a flat area in place of a ridge. Inside, a central hall is flanked by four 19-by-19-foot rooms on each of the upper floors. The house faces away from the highway toward the river. It was always a residence, though its size suggests an inn. The Stringer family owned it from 1859. Described as one of Ohio's largest stone houses, it was nominated partly because a proposed highway would pass only a few yards from its front.","period_of_significance":"19th Century (specific date 1836)","architect_builder":"John B. Bayless (builder/original owner)","architectural_style":null,"criteria":[],"status_note":"Listed in good condition and altered in minor ways (later dormers and rear porch). Used as a private residence. The family was unable to continue maintenance and was offering it for sale.","vacant_flag":null,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:53:09.976106-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_OH/74001538.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/74001538/7522a52cb3-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/74001538/7522a52cb3-1600.webp","licence":"Public domain","author":"Nyttend","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Stringer_Stone_House_site.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Nyttend</a>, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Stringer_Stone_House_site.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/71989464","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stringer_Stone_House","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q7624010"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/ohio/jefferson-county/stringer-stone-house-74001538/"}