Our House
Approximate location: the National Park Service places this pin arbitrarily within the property, not at a surveyed point (stated accuracy ±12 m).
Why it's listed
Our House is a two-story brick tavern at 434 First Avenue in Gallipolis, Ohio, built in 1819 by Henry Cushing near the Ohio River. Designed in the Federal style, it has bridged chimneys at each end, each pair separated by a high semicircular window, and a five-part facade with two entrances, one leading to the taproom. Inside are a taproom, dining rooms, a ladies' parlor, three bedrooms and a divided ballroom, with a small brick kitchen standing behind. After 1819 the tavern became the focus of village social life, and General Lafayette was entertained there on May 22, 1825. Gallipolis itself began with a French settlement of 1790 that grew out of a failed land company scheme. The Cushing family kept the tavern until 1865. Dr. and Mrs. Charles E. Holzer restored it from 1933 and opened it as a private museum in 1936, then gave it to the State of Ohio in 1944. A full restoration followed in 1966, and it now operates as a State Memorial.
Significance in brief: The tavern was the center of village social life in Gallipolis after 1819 and hosted General Lafayette on May 22, 1825. It stands in a town that began as a French settlement tied to the failed Scioto Company land scheme. The form notes its architecture and commerce as areas of significance and recommends local significance.
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 70000494, listed November 10, 1970. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | 434 1st Ave., Gallipolis |
|---|---|
| County | Gallia County |
| Listed | November 10, 1970 |
| Reference number | 70000494 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 19th Century (specific date 1819) |
| Architect / builder | Henry Cushing (builder) |
| Architectural style | Federal |
| Areas of significance | Commerce, Architecture |
| Level of significance | State |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Excellent condition and unaltered; restored in 1966 and open to the public as a State Memorial museum, owned by the State of Ohio. |
| Acreage | 0.9 |
| Within district | Gallipolis Historic District |
| Coordinates | 38.80926, -82.20156 (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 70000494.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikidata Q111364120
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.