Moses, Zebulon, Farm Complex
Why it's listed
Set well back from Clay Road in the town of Lima, this farmstead combines a much-remodeled farmhouse with a nearly complete set of agricultural outbuildings. The two-story clapboard house is believed to date from the early nineteenth century, as shown by hand-hewn sills, half-log joists and hand-split lath. Around the third quarter of the century it was updated with a front cross gable, bracketed porches, bay windows and miter-arched window and door trim in Italianate and Gothic styles. Behind it stand three barns, a carriage barn with an attached shed, and a machine shed, with open fields and a pond nearby. The property was listed for its architecture and its record of agriculture. It represents the typical mid-sized farms that most Lima farmers worked in the nineteenth century. Census records show the Moses family farm growing from about fifty acres in 1850 to 280 acres by 1875, producing grain, fruit and sheep. The family held the farm until 1933.
Significance in brief: The complex is an intact collection of nineteenth-century farm buildings in a rural agrarian setting. The farmhouse is a representative example of local vernacular architecture, modernized in the Victorian era with Italianate and Gothic-inspired ornament. The property also illustrates mid-scale, middle-class farming in Lima through the nineteenth century.
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) · National Archives catalog entry. NRHP reference 89001132, listed August 31, 1989. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | 2770 Clay Rd., Lima |
|---|---|
| County | Livingston County |
| Listed | August 31, 1989 |
| Reference number | 89001132 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | ca. 1830s/40s; ca. 1860s through ca. 1900 |
| Architect / builder | Architect: unknown; Builder: unknown |
| Architectural style | Early nineteenth-century vernacular farmhouse with Italianate and Gothic Revival-inspired ornamentation |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Agriculture, Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Listed as in good condition and still used as a residence; no threats to the building are known. |
| Acreage | 5.3 |
| Coordinates | 42.86553, -77.59195 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
National Register listing is honorary for a privately owned home: it does not by itself restrict what an owner may do with their own money, and it does not require public access. Restrictions come from local landmark or historic-district ordinances, which are separate (how they differ).
Owner-occupied houses are not eligible for the 20% federal rehabilitation tax credit, which applies to income-producing buildings, but many states offer credits for homeowners. Listing also opens the door to preservation easements and to buying a plaque. Start with what listing means for homeowners, renovating a listed house and selling one.
General information, not legal or tax advice. Rules change; confirm with your State Historic Preservation Office or a qualified adviser.
Sources and further reading
- National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places database (snapshot May 2026), reference 89001132.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q8068334
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.