{"nrhp_refnum":"78002003","name":"Athens State Hospital Cow Barn","other_names":["Athens State Hospital Dairy Barn"],"category":"building","location":{"address":"SW of Athens off U.S. 33","address_restricted":false,"city":"Athens","county":"Athens County","state":"OH","lat":39.314552786000036,"lon":-82.11516096999998,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1978-04-25","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Architecture","Social History","Agriculture"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A one-and-one-half-story dairy barn of concrete and frame construction in the vicinity of Athens, Athens County, Ohio, built in 1914 on land of a former farm acquired by the Athens State Hospital.","why_significant":"The nomination argues the barn is a unique example of a farm building associated with a state institution. It was the site of notable advances in animal husbandry, including herd improvement, disease testing and early artificial insemination. It also served therapy and job training for hospital patients.","narrative":"Built in 1914 at a cost of $10,000, this dairy barn near Athens, Ohio, once served the Athens State Hospital. It measures 37 by 195 feet, with a concrete ground level, a frame loft, a slate gambrel roof, nine dormers and three louvered cupolas. A off-center portico with a gambrel-roofed half story marks the east facade. Inside, the lower level held seventy-nine metal stanchions for milking, and the loft stored hay, straw and feed. The barn was part of a seventeen-building farm complex, and all the other buildings were demolished in 1977. It is regarded as significant for its link to institutional farming and animal husbandry. Herdsmen Harry Jones and Homer Gall Sr. built a purebred herd that produced world champion cows, and Gall helped bring tuberculosis and brucellosis testing to Ohio state institution herds. Patients worked the dairy as therapy and job training. A community arts effort saved the vacant barn from planned demolition.","period_of_significance":"1914","architect_builder":null,"architectural_style":"Georgian Revival influence","criteria":[],"status_note":"Listed as vacant and unoccupied at the time of nomination; the other farm buildings were demolished in 1977, and a community effort to convert the barn to an arts center saved it from demolition.","vacant_flag":true,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:53:10.401865-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_OH/78002003.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/78002003/ca89e9442a-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/78002003/ca89e9442a-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 3.0","author":"Ed!(talk)(Hall of Fame)","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:ASH_Cow_Barn_Athens_OH_USA.JPG\" rel=\"noopener\">Ed!(talk)(Hall of Fame)</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:ASH_Cow_Barn_Athens_OH_USA.JPG"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/71986711","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Athens_State_Hospital_Cow_Barn","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q4813518"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/ohio/athens-county/athens-state-hospital-cow-barn-78002003/"}