{"nrhp_refnum":"76001455","name":"Hirons-Brown House","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"SW of Buford on Guernsey Rd.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Buford","county":"Highland County","state":"OH","lat":39.064095921000046,"lon":-83.86435656699996,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1976-12-12","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Architecture","Social History"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A two-story brick farmhouse measuring forty-five by thirty-six feet, built in 1847 by Ezekiel Hirons on Guernsey Road southwest of Buford, Clay Township, Highland County, Ohio.","why_significant":"The nomination calls it a well-preserved late Greek Revival building with Gothic detailing, built on a much grander scale than is typical for rural southwest Ohio. It was also reputedly a station on the Underground Railroad before and during the Civil War, under the Brown family. It is described as a fine farm home of a successful early settler.","narrative":"Built in 1847 by Ezekiel Hirons, this two-story brick farmhouse southwest of Buford, Ohio, measures forty-five by thirty-six feet and combines late Greek Revival form with Gothic detailing. Each side is divided into three bays by full-height pilasters, and the hip roof carries a deck and a bracketed wood cornice. The front door has Gothic sidelights, and a curving main stairway is a standout interior feature. The house is far grander than most rural southwest Ohio homes of its time. Hirons, whose family came from Kentucky in 1812 and became prominent landowners, farmers and storekeepers, bought the farm in 1835 and lived in a log house until this one was built. The Brown family bought the property in 1854. Tradition holds that the house served as an Underground Railroad stop, with a basement tunnel toward White Oak Creek and a trap door beneath the stairs. The brick kiln and a family cemetery remain nearby.","period_of_significance":"1847","architect_builder":"Ezekiel Hirons","architectural_style":"Greek Revival","criteria":[],"status_note":"Described as in excellent condition and occupied as a private residence; the stone front porch was slated for removal for restoration.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:53:09.700133-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_OH/76001455.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/76001455/6798bf24f2-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/76001455/6798bf24f2-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 3.0","author":"Aesopposea","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:HironsBrownHouse.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:HironsBrownHouse.JPG"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/71989359","wikipedia":null,"wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q138359052"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/ohio/highland-county/hirons-brown-house-76001455/"}