Hale, Jonathan, Homestead
Why it's listed
This brick farmhouse at 2686 Oak Hill Road in Bath, Ohio, was built by pioneer settler Jonathan Hale and his sons, using materials from the property. The original three-story block dates to 1825 and is backed into a hillside, so the front wall rises three stories and the rear two. It has step gables, Federal-style modillioned eaves and five bays across the front. A living room was added about 1830, and two wings followed about 1840. The Hale family settled here in 1810 and kept the property until 1956, when it became a museum. The house sits within the Hale Farm and Village Museum, run by the Western Reserve Historical Society, though the other buildings there were moved in and were not part of the listing. The house was recognized as a surviving pioneer Western Reserve homestead in excellent condition. Family accounts, letters, diaries and belongings are preserved and available to the public. Much of the brick and interior woodwork was rebuilt after 1938.
Significance in brief: The nomination argues it is a pioneer Western Reserve homestead with an unusual brick house that survives in excellent condition with few major changes. The property stayed with the same family from 1810 until 1956, so the house holds family records and belongings that document architecture, interior design and artifacts across fifteen decades.
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 73000258, listed April 23, 1973. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | 2686 Oak Hill Rd., Bath |
|---|---|
| County | Summit County |
| Listed | April 23, 1973 |
| Reference number | 73000258 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 19th Century (settled 1810, built 1825) |
| Architect / builder | Jonathan Hale with John Boswort(h) (as read from the state inventory form) |
| Architectural style | Federal |
| Areas of significance | Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Listed in excellent condition and used as a museum, owned by the Western Reserve Historical Society and open to the public seasonally. |
| Acreage | 1.5 |
| Within district | Valley Railway Historic District |
| Coordinates | 41.19315, -81.59239 (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 73000258.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q12059377
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.