Hale, Elijah, Residence
Also known as: Joss Residence
Why it's listed
Built in 1838, this two-story double house at 3243 Ira Road in Bath Township, Summit County, was constructed by Elijah Hale and his son Theodore. Elijah Hale arrived in the area in 1810 and built a log cabin nearby in 1811. The house is a Greek Revival, post and beam structure with clapboard walls, a shallow gable roof, a wide entablature and a broken-bed pediment. A shed-roof porch covers the double entrances, which have paneled doors flanked by Doric pilasters. Theodore lived in one half of the house until 1869, when it was sold to S. McNeil. By 1891 Charles Joss owned most of the McNeil property, and the house stayed with the Joss family. It stands on a quiet country road between the original Hale settlement in the Cuyahoga River valley and the town of Bath, with a large barn behind and fields on all sides. The house is valued as a reminder of the area's early settlement.
Significance in brief: The house is tied to the early settlement of Bath Township by the Hale family, who arrived in 1810. Elijah Hale built a log cabin nearby in 1811 and later built this double house with his son. It is also a surviving example of Greek Revival design in wood-frame post and beam construction.
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 79002795, listed June 11, 1979. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | 3243 Ira Rd., Bath |
|---|---|
| County | Summit County |
| Listed | June 11, 1979 |
| Reference number | 79002795 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Architect / builder | Elijah & Theodore Hale |
| Architectural style | Greek Revival |
| Areas of significance | Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Listed in good exterior condition and still used as a residence; a large barn and fields remain around it. |
| Acreage | 0.5 |
| Coordinates | 41.18922, -81.62086 (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 79002795.
- 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.