Michaels Farm
Why it's listed
Michaels Farm, near Kansas in Seneca County, Ohio, is a working farm of about 80 acres whose buildings span much of the area's agricultural history. The main building is a two-story red brick farmhouse completed in 1878, with a hipped roof, bracketed cornice, segmental-arched windows, and a front porch with decorated brackets and a pressed tin ceiling. Nearby stands an earlier wood frame house with Greek Revival features, thought to date from about 1850. Barns, a chicken house, a garage, an outhouse and a corn crib complete the farmstead. The land was granted to members of the Dicken family in the early 1830s and later passed to Isaac and Margaret Jane Michaels, who built the brick house. The farm is notable for its mix of early and later vernacular buildings, for a brick house rare in the area, and for nearly 150 years of continuous farming, from horse-drawn work to mechanized grain production.
Significance in brief: The nomination argues the complex shows the range of local farmhouse types, from early Greek Revival frame buildings to the more substantial brick houses of the 1870s with Italianate porch features. The brick house is one of few in the area. The farm has also been worked continuously for almost 150 years by the related Michaels and Dicken families, with early heavy machinery use in 1916.
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 79001943, listed November 29, 1979. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | S of Kansas on OH 635, Kansas |
|---|---|
| County | Seneca County |
| Listed | November 29, 1979 |
| Reference number | 79001943 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1800-1899 |
| Architectural style | Greek Revival (frame house); brick farmhouse with Italianate features |
| Areas of significance | Architecture, Agriculture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Occupied and in use as a working farm; the brick house is rented as a residence. The Greek Revival house and chicken house are used for storage. |
| Acreage | 79.7 |
| Coordinates | 41.23065, -83.28228 (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 79001943.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q15253314
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.