Staley Farm
Why it's listed
Staley Farm is a 160-acre farm in Bethel Township, Miami County, Ohio, that grew into a small industrial complex along a mill race from Indian Creek. Elias Staley bought the tract in 1825. The grist mill dates to 1818 and was built, by family tradition, by the three Staley brothers, all skilled millwrights. A sawmill, distillery, brick house, fruit kiln and bank barn followed. The mills still hold machinery modeled on plates in Oliver Evans's mill-building guide, and the sawmill is described as the only known up-and-down saw left on its original site in Ohio. The distillery is less complete, with a bondhouse and malthouse surviving and the stillhouse in ruins. The grist mill and distillery stopped work in 1905 and the sawmill in 1915. The nomination values the farm as a remarkably intact record of Ohio's farm-based industry in the first half of the nineteenth century, occupied by one family since 1825.
Significance in brief: The nomination argues the farm is an unusually intact picture of Ohio's agriculturally based industry before the Civil War. Its grist mill and sawmill retain their original machinery, closely following Oliver Evans's mill designs, and the sawmill is described as the only known up-and-down saw still on its original site in Ohio. The house and barn are also called architecturally significant.
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 80003161, listed March 24, 1980. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | N of Brandt at 7095 Staley Rd., Brandt |
|---|---|
| County | Miami County |
| Listed | March 24, 1980 |
| Reference number | 80003161 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1800-1899 |
| Architect / builder | Elias, Henry and David Staley (millwrights, per family tradition) |
| Architectural style | Federal (brick house); Pennsylvania-style bank barn |
| Areas of significance | Industry, Architecture, Agriculture |
| Level of significance | State |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Occupied by the Staley family; mills largely intact, distillery stillhouse in ruins, and the property is in excellent condition per the form. |
| Acreage | 160 |
| Within district | Elizabeth Township Rural Historic District |
| Coordinates | 39.96526, -84.07599 (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 80003161.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikidata Q138589242
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.