{"nrhp_refnum":"79001977","name":"Waernicke-Hille House And Store","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"SR 36","address_restricted":false,"city":"Archer's Fork","county":"Washington County","state":"OH","lat":39.484254699000076,"lon":-81.20541492799998,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1979-11-29","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Architecture","Agriculture"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A 3-story brick dwelling and a wood-frame store/post office on about 3 acres at Archer's Fork, Independence Township, Washington County, Ohio. The house was built in 1864 for tobacco processor Ernst Waernicke, and the store was built shortly after 1874.","why_significant":"The property is nominated for its ties to two prominent tobacco-producing German families in Washington County. The house was the first brick house in Independence Township and is described as the finest dwelling in the area. The store served as the Archer's Fork post office until 1949, with Augustus Hille and then his daughter serving as postmaster for about 75 years.","narrative":"Built in 1864 at Archer's Fork in Washington County, Ohio, this property includes a three-story brick house and a wood-frame store that doubled as a post office. Ernst Waernicke, a German-born tobacco processor, built the L-shaped house with common-bond brick, a tooled sandstone foundation, a slate roof, and a two-story rear porch. Inside, a central-hall plan, original woodwork, wide floorboards, and neo-Classical mantels survive. It was the first brick house in Independence Township and is called the finest dwelling in the area. After Waernicke died in 1872, his partner Augustus Hille continued the tobacco business and later occupied the house. Hille became the first postmaster in 1874 and built the store and post office near the house. His daughter Ida succeeded him, and the office closed in 1949 after about 75 years of family service. The store also supplied a community largely dependent on tobacco farming.","period_of_significance":"1800-1899","architect_builder":null,"architectural_style":null,"criteria":[],"status_note":"Listed as unoccupied and vacant on the form. The exterior and much of the interior of the house are described as unaltered, and only three small outbuildings remain.","vacant_flag":true,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:53:11.98569-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_OH/79001977.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/79001977/7a840fc94e-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/79001977/7a840fc94e-1600.webp","licence":"Public domain","author":"Nyttend","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Waernicke-Hille_House_and_Store.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Nyttend</a>, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Waernicke-Hille_House_and_Store.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/71991887","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Waernicke%E2%80%93Hille_House_and_Store","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q7959399"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/ohio/washington-county/waernicke-hille-house-and-store-79001977/"}