McKay, Moses, House
Why it's listed
East of Waynesville in Warren County, Ohio, stands a five-bay, two-story brick farmhouse built in 1818 by Moses McKay, a Virginia Quaker. The bricks were dug and fired on the site. The house has six-over-six windows, a Greek Revival entranceway with a leaded glass transom, and original wood doors, floors and trim inside. Hand stencilling in three rooms, including spinning wheels, tulips and ivy leaves, was found preserved under later wallpaper. Roof trusses are hewn and joined with wooden pins. A log smokehouse and woodshed survive. McKay freed the people he had brought to Ohio as slaves soon after arriving. His grandson Jonas McKay and his wife Matilda Ferguson later operated an Underground Railroad station in the house, said to have hidden up to eight people in a circular cellar beneath the original kitchen. The cellar remains, though the false hearth entrance was removed. The house was listed for its architecture and this reported role in aiding escape from slavery.
Significance in brief: The nomination argues the house is a fine example of a modified Greek Revival southern Ohio farmhouse with unusual original woodwork and hand stencilling. It also reports that the McKay family, who were Quakers, operated an Underground Railroad station there from about 1837 or 1839 through the Civil War, using a hidden cellar beneath the original kitchen.
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 78002207, listed February 17, 1978. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | E of Waynesville, on New Burlington Rd., Waynesville |
|---|---|
| County | Warren County |
| Listed | February 17, 1978 |
| Reference number | 78002207 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1818 |
| Architect / builder | Moses McKay |
| Architectural style | Modified Greek Revival |
| Areas of significance | Architecture, Social History |
| Level of significance | State, Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Listed as vacant. Protective measures were taken against deterioration and vandalism while its future use was undecided; condition is rated good. |
| Acreage | 1 |
| Coordinates | 39.54368, -84.01570 (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 78002207.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikidata Q138762902
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.