Lee, Samuel, House
Why it's listed
Built probably around 1830 for Dr. Samuel Lee, Coshocton's first doctor, this house at 306 Fourth Street is a wood frame Federal style building on a stone foundation. Its most striking feature is a two-story portico with fluted Roman Doric columns and a pediment holding a semi-elliptical fan light. A two-story brick wing at the rear gives the plan a T shape, and a two-story brick carriage barn stands on the grounds. The Dewey brothers acquired the property in 1846 and ran a cabinet factory here, and the brick section may have been built for that purpose. The Wilson family bought it around the Civil War and expanded and remodeled it about 1877, adding Italianate doors, marble fireplaces, sliding doors and a connecting frame section. The nomination values the house for its rare Federal design, the Italianate overlay, and its early place in town history. When documented, it had stood abandoned for about thirteen years, and a senior center restoration was planned.
Significance in brief: The nomination cites its architecture: a rare Federal style house in Ohio with a very rare two-story portico on fluted Roman Doric columns. It also notes the Italianate overlay added in the 1870s, and its history as one of the town's earliest buildings, home of Coshocton's first doctor and later a cabinet works.
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 79001796, listed December 6, 1979. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | 306 4th St, Coshocton |
|---|---|
| County | Coshocton County |
| Listed | December 6, 1979 |
| Reference number | 79001796 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1800-1899 |
| Architectural style | Federal, with Italianate alterations |
| Areas of significance | Industry, Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Described as deteriorating after about thirteen years of abandonment and neglect, though thoroughly cleaned, with a restoration planned for use as a senior social center. Owned by the county commissioners. |
| Acreage | 0.9 |
| Within district | Muskingum River Navigation Historic District |
| Coordinates | 40.27661, -81.86497 (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.
Noted as vacant in the nomination. Nomination documents can be decades old; current status may differ. If you are considering buying an empty listed property, read the due-diligence checklist.
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 79001796.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.