Harvey, Elizabeth, Free Negro School
Also known as: Nash,Daisy,House
Why it's listed
This one-story painted brick building on North Street in Harveysburg, Ohio, was built about 1831 and housed a school for Black children. It has a six-bay south facade, 6/6 light windows, a stone foundation, a gable roof with asbestos shingles and an end chimney. A shed-roofed addition sits at the rear. Elizabeth Harvey, a sister of the town's founder William Harvey, opened the school after Ohio's 1829 school law excluded Black children from public education. Between 1829 and 1840 several organizations and individuals opened private schools for Black students, mostly in southern Ohio. Some older histories call this the first free Negro school in the state, though the nomination says that claim is doubted. It is described as one of the earliest documented schools of its kind in Ohio. The school served as a district school for Warren County and employed two teachers. It is now a private residence, and a local bicentennial committee once hoped to turn it into a museum.
Significance in brief: The nomination argues it is one of the earliest documented schools for Black children in Ohio. An 1829 Ohio law excluded Black children from public schools, and Elizabeth Harvey opened this separate school around 1831. Some sources call it the first free Negro school in Ohio, but the nomination notes that other histories dispute this.
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 77001089, listed November 17, 1977. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | North St., Harveysburg |
|---|---|
| County | Warren County |
| Listed | November 17, 1977 |
| Reference number | 77001089 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1831 |
| Areas of significance | Education, Social History |
| Level of significance | State |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Occupied as a private residence; the paint on the brick is peeling and the building has a rear shed-roofed addition. A local bicentennial commission hoped to buy it for use as a museum. |
| Acreage | 0.9 |
| Coordinates | 39.50345, -84.00684 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
For a publicly owned building or structure, listing mainly matters when federal funds, permits or licences are involved: projects then go through Section 106 review so effects on the property are considered. Listing also strengthens applications for preservation grants and, for leased income-producing uses, can enable the federal rehabilitation tax credit.
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 77001089.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikidata Q138754336
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.