{"nrhp_refnum":"75001310","name":"Kirker, Gov. Thomas, Homestead","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"SW of West Union on SR 136","address_restricted":false,"city":"West Union","county":"Adams County","state":"OH","lat":38.77444393400003,"lon":-83.59905990899995,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1975-11-03","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Politics/Government"],"significance_levels":["state"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A historic homestead near West Union, Adams County, Ohio, made up of a 1805 hewn limestone house, a 1852 two-story frame addition and a 1936 rear addition, home of Ohio's second governor, Thomas Kirker.","why_significant":"The nomination argues the property is important in Ohio as the home of Thomas Kirker, Ohio's second governor, who also served as a delegate to the 1802 constitutional convention, state representative and state senator. The house was built in 1805 by Thomas Metcalf, who later became governor of Kentucky. It was visited by Confederate soldiers under General John Hunt Morgan in 1863 and has stayed in the Kirker family since 1805.","narrative":"Near West Union in Adams County, Ohio, this homestead combines a 1805 hewn stone house with later additions. The original 1-1/2 story section is built of local limestone and dolomite, with walls 14 to 16 inches thick and chisel marks still visible. A two-story frame wing was added in 1852 by Captain George Kirker, the governor's youngest son, and an L-shaped rear addition followed in 1936. The house was built for Thomas Kirker, who settled outside the stockade at Massie's Station in 1795 and had Thomas Metcalf build the stone home about 250 feet from Zane's Trace. Kirker served at the 1802 constitutional convention, in both houses of the legislature, and became Ohio's second governor in 1807 after Edward Tiffin resigned. Confederate raiders under John Hunt Morgan visited in 1863 seeking horses but found none. The property has remained in the Kirker family since 1805 and keeps many original interior and window features.","period_of_significance":"1800-1899","architect_builder":"Thomas Metcalf (builder of the 1805 stone section)","architectural_style":null,"criteria":[],"status_note":"Occupied private residence in excellent condition; original doors, floors, window frames and sashes retained.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:53:09.119047-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_OH/75001310.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/75001310/dbf5cc66e3-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/75001310/dbf5cc66e3-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 3.0","author":"Aesopposea","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Kirker_Homestead.JPG\" rel=\"noopener\">Aesopposea</a>, <a href=\"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0\" rel=\"license noopener\">CC BY-SA 3.0</a>, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Kirker_Homestead.JPG"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/71986584","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gov._Thomas_Kirker_Homestead","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q60742433"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/ohio/adams-county/kirker-gov-thomas-homestead-75001310/"}