{"nrhp_refnum":"74001628","name":"Palmer House","other_names":["Plank House"],"category":"building","location":{"address":"9370 Olde Eight Rd.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Northfield Center","county":"Summit County","state":"OH","lat":41.31546980600007,"lon":-81.53937532899994,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1974-08-13","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Architecture"],"significance_levels":["state"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A 1½-story frame house at 9370 Olde Eight Road in Northfield Center, Summit County, Ohio, built in 1852 by William Palmer and also called the Plank House. It was moved in 1915 and is used as a museum.","why_significant":"The house is built of vertical chestnut plank-wall construction, a technique with few known examples in Ohio. It is the only known Ohio example using vertical rather than horizontal planks. It was also described as the first frame dwelling in Northfield.","narrative":"Built in 1852 by William Palmer on land his parents, Hezekiah and Abigail Palmer, bought from the Connecticut Land Company, this 1½-story gable-roofed house in Northfield Center is notable for how it was made. Its walls consist of vertical chestnut planks running from floor to roof, 18 to 30 inches wide and 3 inches thick, covered with narrow clapboard. The structural beams are hand hewn and the floors are thick plank. The discovery of the plank construction came during repairs in 1965. Few buildings in Ohio use plank walls, and this one is the only known example with vertical planks. The Northfield Board of Education bought the property in 1915 and moved the house, then used it as offices until 1954 and as a library until 1965. The Historical Society of Olde Northfield later leased it and began restoring it as a museum. Additions include a south dormer and entry, and another move to a town park was expected.","period_of_significance":"19th Century (specific date 1852)","architect_builder":"William Palmer (builder)","architectural_style":null,"criteria":[],"status_note":"Described as in excellent condition, altered and moved; used as a museum by a historical society, with a further move to a town park considered likely.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:53:10.497705-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_OH/74001628.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/74001628/51e8d69c1e-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/74001628/51e8d69c1e-1600.webp","licence":"Public domain","author":"Nyttend","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Palmer_House_at_Northfield_Center.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Nyttend</a>, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Palmer_House_at_Northfield_Center.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/71991549","wikipedia":null,"wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q138748856"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/ohio/summit-county/palmer-house-74001628/"}