{"nrhp_refnum":"77001039","name":"Wilson, John T., Homestead","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"NE of Seaman on OH 32","address_restricted":false,"city":"Seaman","county":"Adams County","state":"OH","lat":38.96348199900007,"lon":-83.53279515299994,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1977-04-11","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Politics/Government","Social History"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A farm homestead near Seaman, Adams County, Ohio, made up of a 1-1/2 story log house built about 1832 and a 2-story Flemish bond brick house added on the east side in 1844 by John T. Wilson.","why_significant":"The house is the only tangible remains of the life of John T. Wilson, an Ohio politician, abolitionist and philanthropist important in Adams County history. The brick section contained a general store and a secret stairway to an upstairs closet, used to hide fugitive slaves on the Underground Railroad.","narrative":"Near Seaman in Adams County, Ohio, this homestead combines two buildings from different decades. A 1-1/2 story log house with half dovetail notching was built about 1832, and in 1844 John T. Wilson added a 2-story Flemish bond brick house to its east side. The brick section has five bays, stone lintels with carved cornerstones, and a room that served as a general store, where built-in display cases remain. A secret stairway rises from the store to an upstairs closet, and Wilson, an ardent abolitionist, used it to hide people traveling the Underground Railroad. Wilson was born in Highland County in 1811 and moved to the area in 1832. He became a large landowner and merchant, organized a Civil War infantry company, served in the Ohio Senate and in the U.S. House, and gave money for a children's home, a Civil War monument and a fund for the poor. The house is the only physical remnant of his life in southern Ohio.","period_of_significance":"1800-1899","architect_builder":null,"architectural_style":null,"criteria":[],"status_note":"Described as in poor condition in the statement of significance, though the condition box is marked excellent; the log section is used for storage.","vacant_flag":null,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:53:09.291048-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_OH/77001039.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/77001039/db6f42d333-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/77001039/db6f42d333-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 3.0","author":"Aesopposea","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:AdamsCountyOHWilsonHomestead.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:AdamsCountyOHWilsonHomestead.JPG"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/71986586","wikipedia":null,"wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q137584392"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/ohio/adams-county/wilson-john-t-homestead-77001039/"}