Bell, Hiram, Farmstead
Why it's listed
Hiram Bell Farmstead is a 123.85-acre farm on State Route 517 near Columbiana, Ohio. Its core is a brick house built around 1850 by Hiram Bell, L-shaped in plan, with a central hall, a slate roof and a sandstone foundation. Bell added Italianate brackets and porch columns in the mid-1870s and enlarged the rear kitchen addition at the same time. Around the house stand eleven agricultural outbuildings, including two barns, a smokehouse, a carriage house, a silo, three corn cribs, a hog pen, a chicken coop and a machine shed. A sandstone and wrought iron wall, a cistern and other small features survive, along with foundations and privy sites. Springs and Little Bull Creek shaped the layout, and about a third of the land is old-growth forest. An 1880 census listed the farm as half wooded, producing firewood and maple sugar. A 1996 fire damaged the house interior, and the damaged areas have been reconstructed.
Machine-generated summary. This summary was generated by a language model from the official nomination document and has not been reviewed line by line by an editor. It may contain errors. Check the source document before relying on any detail. Source: nomination document (PDF) · catalog entry. Generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29).
| Styles | Mid-19th Century: Greek Revival; Late Victorian: Italianate |
|---|---|
| Areas of significance | Agriculture, Architecture |
| Acreage | 123.9 |
| Boundary source | NPS cultural-resource GIS polygon |
| Full listing page | Bell, Hiram, Farmstead (property record) |
What listing means for this property
This is a historic district. Buildings within its boundary are either contributing (they add to the district's significance) or non-contributing. Owners of contributing income-producing buildings can claim the 20% federal rehabilitation tax credit; homeowners should look at state credits. National Register districts impose no design review by themselves; a local historic district ordinance, if one exists, does (the difference explained).
General information, not legal or tax advice. Rules change; confirm with your State Historic Preservation Office or a qualified adviser.