Wickerham Inn
Why it's listed
Built between 1800 and 1801 by Peter Wickerham, a Revolutionary War veteran, this brick inn sits along Zane's Trace northeast of Peebles in Adams County, Ohio. The two-story building has a rectangular plan, Flemish bond brickwork, end chimneys, a bracketed cornice and a center dormer with a sunburst top. A one-story frame addition was added at the rear around 1890. It was the first house in the county to use plaster, and much of the original remains. The building served as both family home and public inn until about 1850, when stagecoach travel on the trace ended. It was a township voting house in 1804, hosted Confederate soldiers under General John Hunt Morgan in 1863, and reportedly served as an Underground Railroad station. In 1957 it housed NBC communications for a national plowing match held nearby. Local legend describes a headless ghost, linked to a skeleton found in the cellar in 1922. The property has stayed in the Wickerham family.
Significance in brief: It is argued to be one of the last remaining inns on Zane's Trace and the first house in Adams County to use plaster, much of which survives. It served as a family home and public inn until about 1850 and has associations with an 1804 voting house, Morgan's Raiders, and the Underground Railroad. Later alterations also show the changing tastes of the Wickerham family.
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 79001778, listed May 7, 1979. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | NE of Peebles on OH 41, Peebles |
|---|---|
| County | Adams County |
| Listed | May 7, 1979 |
| Reference number | 79001778 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1800-1899 |
| Architect / builder | Peter Wickerham |
| Architectural style | Federal influence |
| Areas of significance | Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Occupied private residence; remained in the Wickerham family since construction. |
| Acreage | 0.9 |
| Coordinates | 38.97037, -83.39431 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
For an income-producing building, listing (individually or as a contributing building in a district) is the gateway to the 20% federal rehabilitation tax credit on qualified rehabilitation costs, often stackable with state credits. Work claiming the credit must follow the Secretary of the Interior's Standards and be approved in advance.
Listing does not restrict a private owner acting without federal money or permits; where federal funding or licensing is involved, Section 106 review applies.
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 79001778.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikidata Q137584327
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.