Tubbs-Sourwine House
Also known as: Searle House Bed and Breakfast
Why it's listed
Built between about 1867 and 1870 at the corner of Railroad and Mills Streets in Plymouth, Ohio, this frame house is the village's only example of the Second Empire style. Its defining feature is a mansard roof covered in imbricated slate, pierced by ten hooded dormers and resting on a bracketed cornice with carved wood details. Double-hung windows have decorative bracketed lintels, and a two-story porch with chamfered posts marks the center bay. Henry Tubbs, owner of the village planing mill, bought the land in 1867 and lived there until his death in 1903. The Sourwine family owned the house from 1919 to 1997, and in the 1960s it served as a rooming house for railroad workers. Aluminum siding added around 1960 was removed, exposing the original clapboard, which is unusual in Richland County, where other Second Empire buildings were mostly brick. The house reflects the village's growing prosperity after the Civil War and was being converted to a bed and breakfast.
Significance in brief: The house is nominated for architecture as an excellent example, and the only one in Plymouth, of the Second Empire style. Its mansard roof with patterned slate, dormers, bracketed cornice and two-story porch are characteristic of the style. Its clapboard walls are unusual for Second Empire buildings in Richland County, where most other examples were brick.
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 99000094, listed February 5, 1999. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | 49 Railroad St., Plymouth |
|---|---|
| County | Richland County |
| Listed | February 5, 1999 |
| Reference number | 99000094 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | c. 1867 |
| Architectural style | Late Victorian: Second Empire |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Undergoing restoration and rehabilitation for use as a bed and breakfast at the time of the nomination. |
| Acreage | 0.9 |
| Within district | Plymouth Historic District |
| Coordinates | 40.99389, -82.66765 (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 99000094.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikidata Q138666792
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.