Miller Farm
Why it's listed
Miller Farm is a cluster of nineteenth-century farm buildings about 2 miles southeast of Baltimore, Ohio. The land was patented in 1806 and has stayed in one family since. The complex includes a farmhouse begun around 1830 and enlarged between 1840 and 1905, a bank barn with brick and walnut siding, a summerhouse, springhouse, smokehouse, blacksmith shop, buggy shed, machine shed, hog shed, chicken coop and a family cemetery with gravestones from 1817. The buildings still hold tools and utensils for butchering, smoking meat and blacksmithing. Although none of the buildings is outstanding architecturally, the group is unusually intact. Together with family letters, receipts and financial records, it shows how the farm supplied its own lumber, livestock, dairy products, grain, apples and maple sugar, and how tools were made and repaired on site. The farm is valued as a reminder of a self-sufficient rural lifestyle that faded as farming became mechanized.
Significance in brief: The nomination argues the farm is a remarkably intact example of a self-sufficient nineteenth-century Ohio farm. No single building is architecturally outstanding, but together the buildings and their tools and artifacts show a rural way of life that was disappearing. The farm has stayed in one family since the 1806 land patent.
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 78002058, listed May 22, 1978. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | S of Baltimore on Pleasantville Rd., Baltimore |
|---|---|
| County | Fairfield County |
| Listed | May 22, 1978 |
| Reference number | 78002058 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1800-1899 |
| Areas of significance | Agriculture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Occupied, privately owned farm. Some outbuildings no longer serve their original purpose, and the springhouse window sashes are missing. The owners planned to restore the outbuildings and display the original equipment. |
| Acreage | 7 |
| Coordinates | 39.81518, -82.58837 (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 78002058.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikidata Q137784713
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.