Ghent Historic District
Why it's listed
Ghent is a small hamlet in Bath Township, Summit County, Ohio, and its historic district preserves eight modest wood-frame buildings along the west side of Wye Road. The oldest is a woolen mill built in 1832 beside Yellow Creek. It produced wool cloth and yarn, peaked during the Civil War, became a machine shop in the 1890s and was then converted to multiple-family housing. Nearby are houses from the mid-19th century, including one built by Thomas Pierson, who also built an octagonal bee house around 1859 to raise bees year round. Two houses on the hillside above Wye Road have always been residential, and a small barn is counted as non-contributing after reconstruction. The district was recognized as a compact, intact example of a hamlet's mixed-use character in the 19th and early 20th centuries. Its significance runs through 1952, when the general store burned and the hamlet's role as the township's local center of goods and services faded.
Significance in brief: The cluster shows how a Western Reserve hamlet in Bath Township developed from the 1810s into the early 20th century, with mixed residential, commercial, industrial and agricultural uses. The woolen mill is one of only two surviving mill buildings in the township, and the octagonal bee house is a unique local landmark. The period of significance ends in 1952, when the general store burned and local shopping shifted elsewhere.
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 10000974, listed December 7, 2010. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | W side of Wye Rd. between Granger and Yellow Creek Rd, Ghent |
|---|---|
| County | Summit County |
| Listed | December 7, 2010 |
| Reference number | 10000974 |
| Resource type | District |
| Period of significance | Ends 1952 (the form gives 1952 as the end date; the start date is not visible in the truncated text) |
| Architect / builder | Thomas Pierson (800 Wye Road house and Bee House); Hiram Wilton (probable builder of 792 and 794 Wye Road); Aaron Miller (probable builder of 3693 Yellow Creek Road); Samuel Myers (probable builder of 3692 Yellow Creek Road) |
| Architectural style | Other - vernacular; Mid-Nineteenth Century |
| Areas of significance | Exploration/Settlement, Industry, Commerce |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Buildings are in residential and commercial use. The mill is a multiple-family residence and the house at 800 Wye Road is a bakery. The barn at 788 Wye Road was re-sided and is non-contributing. The bee house and mill no longer serve their original purposes. |
| Acreage | 6 |
| Coordinates | 41.15737, -81.63812 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
This is a historic district. Buildings within its boundary are either contributing (they add to the district's significance) or non-contributing. Owners of contributing income-producing buildings can claim the 20% federal rehabilitation tax credit; homeowners should look at state credits. National Register districts impose no design review by themselves; a local historic district ordinance, if one exists, does (the difference explained).
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 10000974.
- 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.