Waldschmidt-Camp Dennison District
Why it's listed
Two early stone houses on Glendale-Milford Road in Cincinnati make up this district: the Christian Waldschmidt House, built around 1804, and the Camp Dennison Guard House, erected about 1810. Both are of coursed rubble stone. The Waldschmidt House is two and a half stories with a five-bay facade, paired recessed doorways and twelve-over-twelve sash windows. The guard house is a two-story building with a two-bay facade and a rear ell. Christian Waldschmidt, a Pennsylvania native leading a group of German Pietists, reached the site near the Little Miami River in 1794 and founded the village of New Germany, with a gristmill, distillery and a paper mill thought to be the first in Ohio. During the Civil War the area became Camp Dennison, a Union training and induction center; the larger house served as General Joshua Bates's headquarters and the smaller one as a guard house. Given to the Ohio Daughters of the American Revolution in 1941, the Waldschmidt House was restored as a public memorial. The two buildings are among Ohio's earliest surviving stone houses.
Significance in brief: The two buildings are among the earliest stone houses still standing in Ohio and represent their style and period. They are also tied to Christian Waldschmidt's New Germany settlement and to the Civil War training camp known as Camp Dennison.
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 73001471, listed March 7, 1973. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | 7509 and 7567 Glendale-Milford Rd., Cincinnati |
|---|---|
| County | Hamilton County |
| Listed | March 7, 1973 |
| Reference number | 73001471 |
| Resource type | District |
| Period of significance | 19th Century (specific dates ca. 1804 and ca. 1810) |
| Areas of significance | Military, Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Listed in excellent, unaltered condition on its original site; the Waldschmidt House was restored as a public memorial and is used as a museum. |
| Acreage | 0.9 |
| Coordinates | 39.19122, -84.29046 (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 73001471.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q5027121
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.