Whitmer, Frieda, House
Why it's listed
This two-story brick house on Houchard Road near Amlin, in Washington Township, Franklin County, was built around 1860 as a residence. It sits on a stone rubble foundation with a basement and has brick walls, a plain wall treatment and a patterned slate roof in three colors. Stone lintels and sills frame the openings, and the roof ends are scalloped. The front shows two doors on the first floor and two bricked-up windows on the second. A one-story rear wing has a modern addition. The house stands among flat farm fields at the edge of an active farm, set back about 150 feet from the road. Local accounts hold that the bricks were made on the site and that the house was built at about the same time as two nearby brick homes. It was recorded in a township survey of historic resources under the themes of local history and nineteenth-century architecture, and it was later entered on the national list in 1979.
Significance in brief: The inventory sheet files it under local history and 19th-century architecture. It has a patterned slate roof in three colors, stone lintels and sills, and scalloped ends. The bricks are said to have been made on site, and the house is reportedly contemporary with two nearby brick homes.
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 79002690, listed April 11, 1979. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence low).
Key facts
| Address | 5530 Houchard Rd., Amlin |
|---|---|
| County | Franklin County |
| Listed | April 11, 1979 |
| Reference number | 79002690 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Areas of significance | Architecture, Social History |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | The inventory sheet lists the present use as vacant, but also notes that part of the rear wing has a modern addition and is occupied. Exterior condition is marked fair. |
| Acreage | 1 |
| Coordinates | 40.07925, -83.19748 (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 79002690.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikidata Q137803666
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.