Brown-Gorman Farm
Why it's listed
Eleven miles north of Cincinnati, in the Mill Creek valley community of Evendale, the Brown-Gorman Farm preserves a working farmstead that began around 1835. Its core is a two-story vernacular limestone house, later stuccoed, with a stone kitchen ell added about 1858. A Pennsylvania bank barn from 1835 has a cantilevered forebay and a rare swing beam in its threshing bay, and a south addition was made around 1900-1920. An alfalfa barn of 1911 reflects the Gorman family's early move into alfalfa hay, which they sold to local dairy farmers. Other buildings include a rabbit house, tractor shed, chicken house, corn cribs, springhouses and a fish pond, much of the stonework done by mason Ben Maxfield. Together the resources show how a single family farm modernized over more than a century. The original 99-acre farm is now part of a larger property owned by the Village of Evendale and managed as the Gorman Heritage Farm.
Significance in brief: The nomination presents the farm as a well-preserved example of a long-lived family farm in the Mill Creek valley, with a largely intact farmstead ensemble from c. 1835 onward. The barn has a rare swing beam, and the buildings show how the Brown and Gorman families adapted to changes in farming, including early alfalfa growing and mechanization. The form marks 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 12000463, listed August 1, 2012. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | 10052 Reading Rd., Evendale |
|---|---|
| County | Hamilton County |
| Listed | August 1, 2012 |
| Reference number | 12000463 |
| Resource type | District |
| Architect / builder | Ben Maxfield (stonemason, built the upper springhouse, woodshed and barn foundation addition) |
| Architectural style | Mid-19th Century: Vernacular |
| Areas of significance | Architecture, Agriculture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Owned by the Village of Evendale and managed as the Gorman Heritage Farm; the historic farmstead survives with some later alterations. |
| Acreage | 99.6 |
| Coordinates | 39.24155, -84.38927 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
This is a historic district. Buildings within its boundary are either contributing (they add to the district's significance) or non-contributing. Owners of contributing income-producing buildings can claim the 20% federal rehabilitation tax credit; homeowners should look at state credits. National Register districts impose no design review by themselves; a local historic district ordinance, if one exists, does (the difference explained).
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 12000463.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q54958224
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.