{"nrhp_refnum":"82003604","name":"Piatt, Abram S., House and Piatt, Donn S., House","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"TR and SR 245 (Mac-a-Cheek);Ch 1 and SR 287 (Mac-o-Chee)","address_restricted":false,"city":"West Liberty","county":"Logan County","state":"OH","lat":40.25269712900007,"lon":-83.7251314114917,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1982-05-03","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Military","Literature","Architecture"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"Two separate stone castle-style houses near West Liberty, Logan County, Ohio: Mac-A-Cheek, built 1864-1871 for Abram S. Piatt, and Mac-O-Chee, begun in 1864 as a Gothic Revival frame cottage for Donn S. Piatt, with a stone castle section added in 1879-1881.","why_significant":"The nomination argues the houses are precise, detailed examples of Victorian Gothic and Flemish architecture and are exceptional landmarks in a rural county. They are also tied to the Piatt brothers, Union Army officers, and Donn Piatt was a journalist and editor of a literary paper, so the homes are also significant for military and literary reasons.","narrative":"Two stone castles stand about a mile apart near West Liberty in Logan County, Ohio, built by the Piatt brothers after their Civil War service. Mac-A-Cheek, built 1864-1871 for Abram S. Piatt, is a two-story limestone house with a mansard roof and a five-story tower, and nearly all its materials came from the family estate. Mac-O-Chee began in 1864 as a Gothic Revival cottage for Donn S. Piatt. A stone castle with two towers was added in 1879-1881, designed first by Smithmeyer and then by William McCoy Piatt. Both houses have frescoed ceilings by Oliver Frey, extensive original woodwork, and period furnishings. The nomination presents them as the finest private homes in a mostly rural county and as examples of Victorian Gothic and Flemish design. They are also linked to Abram's service as a Union general and Donn's career as a journalist and editor. Both are open to visitors.","period_of_significance":"1800-1899","architect_builder":"Smithmeyer (architect of Mac-O-Chee stone addition); G. Hauer of Kenton, Ohio (master builder); William McCoy Piatt (architect and engineer after Smithmeyer); Oliver Frey (fresco painter)","architectural_style":"Victorian Gothic and Flemish (Norman French chateau style for Mac-A-Cheek; Gothic Revival cottage with Flemish Chateau stone addition for Mac-O-Chee)","criteria":[],"status_note":"Both castles are open to the public as museums. Mac-A-Cheek is still used as the family home. Parts of Mac-O-Chee and the third floor and tower of Mac-A-Cheek are in poor condition.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:53:12.130631-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_OH/82003604.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/82003604/720ee2ec01-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/82003604/720ee2ec01-1600.webp","licence":"Public domain","author":"Nyttend (talk · contribs) (photographer)Yarnalgo (talk · contribs) (montage maker)","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Mac-O-Chee%E2%80%93Mac-A-Cheek_montage.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Nyttend (talk · contribs) (photographer)Yarnalgo (talk · contribs) (montage maker)</a>, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Mac-O-Chee%E2%80%93Mac-A-Cheek_montage.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/71989748","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Piatt_Castles","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q7190382"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/ohio/logan-county/piatt-abram-s-house-and-piatt-donn-s-house-82003604/"}