Trop Farm
Also known as: Martha & Laurence Lucas Farm
Why it's listed
Four miles west of Hillsboro in Highland County, Ohio, this small farmstead preserves a complete group of nineteenth-century farm buildings. The main house is a two-story, five-bay brick I-house laid in common bond, with a rear wing, limestone foundation, standing seam tin roof and plain walnut woodwork. The former kitchen, now the dining room, keeps its large cooking fireplace, wide oak floor and narrow corner stairway. The barn, dated to about 1815, rests on two original log pens with half-dovetail corners, later enclosed by additions and siding. Outbuildings include a buggy shed and corncrib, smokehouse, privy, henhouses, butchering shed, washhouse and a ca. 1930 milkhouse. Henry Trop settled the land in 1811 after arriving from Pennsylvania, and he and his son Philip built the brick house in the late 1840s. Few such groupings survive in a county now marked by modern agricultural buildings. The land has remained in the Trop family since 1811.
Significance in brief: The farm is significant for its architectural integrity and its ties to the settlement of rural Highland County. The house, barn and outbuildings together show what the early rural built environment looked like, a grouping now rarely found in the county. It has stayed in the Trop family since 1811 and is described as the second oldest continuously family-owned farm 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 82003597, listed April 1, 1982. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | 6250 Mad River Rd., Hillsboro |
|---|---|
| County | Highland County |
| Listed | April 1, 1982 |
| Reference number | 82003597 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1800-1899 |
| Architect / builder | Builders: Henry and Philip Trop |
| Architectural style | I-house (classical I-house with Federal fireplaces) |
| Areas of significance | Exploration/Settlement, Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Occupied and in use as agriculture and a private residence; condition marked good, unaltered, original site. |
| Acreage | 4 |
| Coordinates | 39.18156, -83.67558 (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 82003597.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikidata Q138362101
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.