Rial, York, House
Why it's listed
Built in 1890 in the Rossville community near Piqua, this small frame house was the home of York Rial, a mason born into slavery on John Randolph's Virginia plantation. Rossville was settled after 1846 by freed people from Randolph's estate, who were turned away from land purchased for them in Mercer County. Rial bought the lot in 1872 and likely laid the stacked limestone foundation himself. From 1907 until his death in 1913, he helped represent the Randolph descendants in court cases seeking that land. The house measures about 16 by 28 feet and has two rooms up and two down, with an unaltered staircase and nineteenth-century woodwork. Later siding and a 1950s rear addition have not changed its distinctive features. It is the only Rossville building documented as built for one of the Randolph slaves, and it represents a house type common in Ohio's rural black settlements. The house is now a museum.
Significance in brief: The house is tied to Rossville, a major 19th-century freed black settlement founded by former slaves of John Randolph of Roanoke, Virginia. It is the only building in the community documented as built for one of the Randolph slaves. It is also a well-preserved example of a house type found in rural black settlements in Ohio. York Rial gained national attention for leading a court case to reclaim land in Mercer 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 86002620, listed August 12, 1986. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | McFarland St., Piqua |
|---|---|
| County | Miami County |
| Listed | August 12, 1986 |
| Reference number | 86002620 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1800-1899 |
| Architect / builder | unknown (built by York Rial, according to the narrative) |
| Architectural style | Vernacular one-and-a-half-story frame house type found in rural black settlements in Ohio |
| Criteria |
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| Areas of significance | Architecture, Social History |
| Level of significance | State, Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Described as in good, altered condition, with a 1950s rear addition and partial aluminum siding; operated as a museum telling the story of the Randolph Slaves. |
| Acreage | 0.9 |
| Coordinates | 40.15638, -84.23661 (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 86002620.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.