Leesville Town Hall
Also known as: Lee's Tavern
Why it's listed
Leesville Town Hall began about 1830 as a tavern built and owned by Rev. Robert Lee in the village of Leesville, Jefferson Township, Crawford County, Ohio. It is a plain, rectangular wood frame building of two and a half stories, with beveled siding, a shingle roof and a rusticated stone foundation. It has two bays across the front and two on the side, and the interior has no partitions. The roof has been re-shingled and the interior altered somewhat, but the building is basically unchanged since construction. Lee's son Robert ran the first tavern here. Ownership changed hands fifteen times during the 1800s, and the tavern business continued until 1901, when the Town Trustees took over the building and it became the town hall. It sits at the crossroads of the first state highway from Columbus to Cleveland and the main road from Mansfield to Bucyrus, a location that likely made it important in early county history. It still serves for township meetings and voting.
Significance in brief: The building was built and owned by Rev. Robert Lee, and his son Robert ran the first tavern in it. It stood at the crossroads of the first state highway from Columbus to Cleveland and the main road from Mansfield to Bucyrus, so it likely played a large part in early county history. Tavern use continued until 1901, when the Town Trustees took it over as the town hall.
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 79002810, listed April 3, 1979. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | OH 598 and CR 229, Leesville |
|---|---|
| County | Crawford County |
| Listed | April 3, 1979 |
| Reference number | 79002810 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Architect / builder | Architect and builder unknown; originally built and owned by Rev. Robert Lee |
| Areas of significance | Exploration/Settlement |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Used for township meetings and voting; interior and exterior condition listed as very good. |
| Acreage | 0.9 |
| Coordinates | 40.79544, -82.78831 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
For a publicly owned building or structure, listing mainly matters when federal funds, permits or licences are involved: projects then go through Section 106 review so effects on the property are considered. Listing also strengthens applications for preservation grants and, for leased income-producing uses, can enable the federal rehabilitation tax credit.
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 79002810.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikidata Q137636041
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.