Heter Farm
Why it's listed
Northwest of Bellevue, near the community of Flat Rock, this Seneca County farm combines a brick Greek Revival house of 1849 with a large bank barn of 1854. A stone nameplate in the house gable reads "G. Heter 1849." The house has a limestone basement with a sink hole that has kept it dry, and its brick is laid in Flemish bond on the front and south sides. The barn measures 75 by 43 feet and stands 40 feet tall, with hand-hewn floor timbers and walnut grain-bin boards. A summer kitchen, working brick smokehouse, chicken house, storage shed and outhouse also survive. The land came to the Kern family in 1833 and passed to Hannah Kern and George Heter as a wedding gift in 1836. It stayed in the family for about 110 years. Few changes were made after about 1900, and the farm still operates with its original buildings.
Significance in brief: The farm is a well-known local landmark with some of the older buildings in the township. Its only structural changes, such as doors converted to windows, date from about 1900 or earlier, and after about 130 years it is still a working farm using the original buildings. The form also traces its link to the Kern and Heter families, who settled Thompson Township in the 1830s, and to the early growth of Flat Rock.
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 79001941, listed March 29, 1979. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | NW of Bellevue, Bellevue |
|---|---|
| County | Seneca County |
| Listed | March 29, 1979 |
| Reference number | 79001941 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1800-1899 |
| Architectural style | Greek Revival |
| Areas of significance | Architecture, Agriculture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Occupied and still a working farm; condition marked good. Sheep and steers are raised there. |
| Acreage | 5 |
| Coordinates | 41.24774, -82.85849 (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 79001941.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikidata Q138672776
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.