Reaves, John, House
Why it's listed
This 1-1/2 story brick house on Public Square in Freeport, Ohio, is described as the oldest house in the village. It was built before 1820 by Daniel Easley, who came from Virginia around 1804 and later left by flatboat for Illinois, where he founded another Freeport. The house has a stone foundation and water table, a gable roof of standing seam metal, 6/6 light windows with stone lintels and sills, and a recessed paneled center door with sidelights and a transom on the south front. John Reaves, one of Freeport's first teachers and the first local man to enlist in the Civil War, lived here with his family. In 1884 the Exchange Bank of Freeport opened in the southeast room and operated until 1893; the room later served as the village's first telephone office. The Clark family bought the property after the last Reaves died and saved it from destruction, then donated it to the village for use as a hall, museum and library.
Significance in brief: The nomination calls it the oldest house in Freeport and the home of one of the village's most important citizens, John Reaves. One room housed the village's first bank in the 1880s and later its first telephone office. It is also described as the best remaining building in Freeport architecturally, especially its south entrance.
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 77001068, listed July 15, 1977. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | Public Sq., Freeport |
|---|---|
| County | Harrison County |
| Listed | July 15, 1977 |
| Reference number | 77001068 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1800-1899 |
| Architect / builder | Daniel Easley (original builder) |
| Architectural style | Greek Revival (noted with a question mark on the data sheet) |
| Areas of significance | Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Marked vacant on the form; it was donated to the village for use as a combined village hall, museum and library. A one-story frame church of about 1880 attached to the west side was not meant to be included. |
| Acreage | 0.9 |
| Coordinates | 40.21016, -81.26716 (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 77001068.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q6254405
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.