Batavia House
Also known as: James Thompson Inn; Century Inn
Why it's listed
Built in 1818 on South State Street in Middlefield, Ohio, Batavia House is the oldest surviving building in the village. James Thompson, a co-founder of the settlement, constructed this symmetrical five-bay, two-story frame inn in the late Federal style, with a one-story kitchen wing at the rear. It has clapboard siding, a gable roof, and a central chimney. Later changes include two-over-two windows, a mid-nineteenth-century porch, and a cinder block rear addition that is hidden from the street by the sloping lot. The inn stood midway between Painesville and Warren on the state road, making it a noted overnight stop and a place for business meetings and township elections. Thompson ran it until the late 1830s and lived there until his death in 1877. His descendants kept it going until 1907, and it then operated as the Century Inn until 1951. Today it houses the Middlefield Historical Society.
Significance in brief: The nomination presents it as the best representative of Middlefield's early settlement period. Thompson's inn, midway between Painesville and Warren on the state road, became a noted overnight stop and a site for business meetings and township elections. It operated as an inn into the twentieth century and remains the village's oldest standing building.
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 87001213, listed July 16, 1987. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | 14979 S. State St., Middlefield |
|---|---|
| County | Geauga County |
| Listed | July 16, 1987 |
| Reference number | 87001213 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1818-circa 1840 |
| Architect / builder | Unknown (built by James Thompson) |
| Architectural style | Federal |
| Areas of significance | Exploration/Settlement |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Presently used as the headquarters of the Middlefield Historical Society. |
| Acreage | 0.9 |
| Coordinates | 41.46102, -81.07250 (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 87001213.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikidata Q138340151
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.