Lutz-Martin Farm
Also known as: Shoemaker Farm; Lutz Farm; Martin Farm; NPS Tract# 111-026; Building# HS 597 and HS-598; Hs-599-603; Ohi# Sum-0086-06
Why it's listed
Set within Cuyahoga Valley National Park in Bath Township, this 17-acre farmstead centers on a two-story, wood-framed upright-and-wing house built around 1888. Nine resources contribute to its character: the house, a circa 1925 shed, a privy, two water pumps, a water well, the sandstone foundations of a barn and milk house, and a former agricultural field. The land began as part of the Western Reserve and passed from Enoch Shoemaker, who built a house and barn in the 1840s and 1850s, through John Bennage to Jacob Lutz, and then in 1894 to Peter Martin, a Hungarian-born farmer who had worked Montana mines. The property was listed for its link to the valley's farming history, including oats, dairy and market produce shipped by canal and railroad, and for a house type brought to Ohio from New England and New York. The clustered buildings show how a farm worked before modern conveniences made many outbuildings obsolete.
Significance in brief: The farmstead is argued to be significant under Criterion A for reflecting the agricultural trends of the Cuyahoga Valley, including market-oriented crops, oats and dairy supported by canal and railroad links. Under Criterion C, the farmhouse is an upright-and-wing, a house type identified as significant in the valley's agricultural multiple property documentation. The layout of the house and outbuildings also shows how the farm functioned before about 1915.
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 03000608, listed July 3, 2003. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | 2470 Martin Rd., Bath |
|---|---|
| County | Summit County |
| Listed | July 3, 2003 |
| Reference number | 03000608 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1888-1939 |
| Architect / builder | Unknown |
| Architectural style | Other: Upright and Wing (Vernacular) |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Agriculture, Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Current function is listed as vacant; the farm field is no longer in agricultural production and the shed received a recent stabilization roof. |
| Acreage | 17 |
| Coordinates | 41.17518, -81.59167 (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.
Noted as vacant in the nomination. Nomination documents can be decades old; current status may differ. If you are considering buying an empty listed property, read the due-diligence checklist.
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 03000608.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikidata Q100606337
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.