Kennedy Stone 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
Near the south shore of Salt Fork Lake in Guernsey County, Ohio, stands a two-story stone house measuring 18 by 40 feet, five bays wide and two deep. Benjamin Kennedy bought the 80-acre site in January 1837 and probably had the house built soon afterward. The contract price was $500, and the unnamed contractor was later paid extra to build a barrel-vaulted stone fruit cellar southwest of the house. The Kennedy family owned the property until 1942, when it was sold to the state for the Salt Fork Lake development. The house was occupied until 1966. After the lake was impounded in 1969, water rose to within about 75 feet, and access is now by boat or trail. Vandals have destroyed the windows, doors and stair rail, though the stone walls remain sound. The house was listed as a locally significant, fairly well-preserved example of early stone residential building in a county where such houses are disappearing.
Significance in brief: The nomination argues the house is of local architectural significance as one of a dwindling number of stone houses in Guernsey County. A 1942 notebook located fifteen stone houses built between 1824 and 1853, and several are likely gone. It is described as a fairly well-preserved example of first- and second-generation residential architecture in the county.
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 75001412, listed October 3, 1975. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | SE of North Salem off OH 271, North Salem |
|---|---|
| County | Guernsey County |
| Listed | October 3, 1975 |
| Reference number | 75001412 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | approximately 1837 |
| Architect / builder | Contractor unknown; built for Benjamin Kennedy |
| Areas of significance | Architecture |
| Level of significance | State |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Listed as unoccupied; last resident left in 1966. The house has been extensively vandalized, with windows, doors and stair rail destroyed, and openings covered with plywood. The stone walls are in excellent condition. A deteriorated rear frame addition was slated for removal. |
| Acreage | 1 |
| Coordinates | 40.12804, -81.49947 (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.
Noted as vacant in the nomination. Nomination documents can be decades old; current status may differ. If you are considering buying an empty listed property, read the due-diligence checklist.
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 75001412.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q6389690
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.