Deerlick Farm
Also known as: Britton, James, Farm
Why it's listed
Deerlick Farm is a 160-acre working farm near West Salem in Wayne County, Ohio, centered on a two-and-a-half-story Queen Anne farmhouse built in 1874-75. James F. Britton designed it after returning from years as a mining and civil engineer in Chile. The house has a central tower, steep slate-covered gables with carved bargeboard, and patterned siding of horizontal and vertical boards. Inside are black walnut doors and stairway made from trees felled on the property, and a library window showing a deer. The grounds include an Italianate barn with three ventilators, a carriage house with a herringbone brick floor, a smokehouse, milk house and other outbuildings. The Britton family owned the land from 1824 until 1943, and James Britton was among the first in Ohio to raise Holstein cattle. The farm is recognized for its intact farmstead and its Queen Anne design.
Significance in brief: The nomination argues that the farm is a well-preserved group of late nineteenth-century farm buildings and an excellent, carefully preserved example of Queen Anne architecture. It also holds that the farm helped shape agricultural growth around West Salem. Its owner James Britton was a progressive farmer and one of the first in Ohio to raise Holstein cattle, in a county known for wheat and dairy farming.
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 86001365, listed June 20, 1986. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | 7482 Britton Rd., West Salem |
|---|---|
| County | Wayne County |
| Listed | June 20, 1986 |
| Reference number | 86001365 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1800-1899 |
| Architect / builder | James F. Britton |
| Architectural style | Queen Anne |
| Areas of significance | Agriculture, Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Occupied, in excellent condition and largely unaltered, still used for agriculture and as a private residence; the main porch was replaced with a brick porch in the 1920s. |
| Acreage | 160 |
| Coordinates | 40.97069, -82.06831 (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 86001365.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikidata Q138764248
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.