{"nrhp_refnum":"76001542","name":"Crossed Keys Tavern","other_names":["Rue,Benjamin,Tavern"],"category":"building","location":{"address":"E of Lebanon on OH 350","address_restricted":false,"city":"Lebanon","county":"Warren County","state":"OH","lat":39.40689155300004,"lon":-84.10329093999997,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1976-10-21","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Architecture"],"significance_levels":["state"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A two and one-half story coursed fieldstone tavern built in 1802 by Captain Benjamin Rue on Ohio Route 350 east of Lebanon in Turtle Creek Township, Warren County, Ohio, near a ford of the Miami River.","why_significant":"The nomination calls it an excellent example of a typical early nineteenth century Ohio stone roadhouse and a well-known Warren County landmark. It was built as a stagecoach stop and retains its original interior layout and plasterwork. Its primitive, unbalanced front reflects an attempt to place the fireplace in an ideal location.","narrative":"Built in 1802 of coursed fieldstone, this two and one-half story tavern on Ohio Route 350 east of Lebanon served as a stagecoach stop near a prime ford of the Miami River. Captain Benjamin Rue, a Revolutionary War army veteran, built it and ran it until 1819, when he sold it to manage Lebanon's Golden Lamb Inn. The building is small, about 33 by 20 feet, so stops there were generally made only in emergencies. Its front is unbalanced, with one window beside the doorway, because the interior fireplace and flue left no room for a second. Walls are twenty-two inches thick, and the original plaster and room layout survive, including a kitchen and tavern room, two sleeping rooms and an attic dormitory. It remained a tavern until late in the nineteenth century, then became a residence. It was listed as a typical early nineteenth century Ohio stone roadhouse and a well-known Warren County landmark.","period_of_significance":"1802","architect_builder":"Benjamin Rue","architectural_style":"Vernacular","criteria":[],"status_note":"Described as in good condition, with the exterior stonework in fair condition and some patching in modern mortar; used as a summer home maintained by a caretaker, with hopes of eventual purchase and restoration.","vacant_flag":null,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:53:10.341112-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_OH/76001542.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/76001542/c4efbf78db-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/76001542/c4efbf78db-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 4.0","author":"Mbeatty","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Cross_keys.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Mbeatty</a>, <a href=\"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0\" rel=\"license noopener\">CC BY-SA 4.0</a>, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Cross_keys.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/71991845","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crossed_Keys_Tavern","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q5188555"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/ohio/warren-county/crossed-keys-tavern-76001542/"}