Centerville Historic District
Why it's listed
Centerville is a linear village of about 94 contributing buildings strung along the Old National Pike for roughly 3,300 feet in Washington County. Surveyed and plotted in 1819 and 1821 after the National Road reached the area in 1818, it grew around taverns, shops and wagon stands serving travelers. Most of its early buildings are locally made brick in vernacular Federal and Greek Revival forms, set close to the road. The John Rogers Tavern, built about 1821, and the Zephania Riggle Tavern, built about 1835, are among the survivors. The village later served as a commercial center for surrounding farms and mines, and it is noted for the 1872 Romanesque Revival Methodist-Episcopal Church and the E.H. Griffith Store. A John Williams Service Station of about 1920 recalls the road's revival for automobile touring. After the B & O Railroad opened in 1853 and through-traffic declined, the village kept its National Road-era form, and it is regarded as an intact example of a pike town.
Significance in brief: The district is argued to be significant for its association with the National Road's transportation and commercial history, from the road's completion in 1818 through its decline after the railroads and its early-twentieth-century revival by automobile tourism. It is also significant architecturally as a concentration of vernacular Federal, Greek Revival, Italianate, Queen Anne and early-twentieth-century buildings that represent a 'Pike Town' community.
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 96001208, listed October 24, 1996. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-haiku-5-5, prompt v1.1-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | Roughly, Old National Pike--US 40 from Linton Rd. to jct. ofOld National Pike--US 40 and PA 481, Centerville |
|---|---|
| County | Washington County |
| Listed | October 24, 1996 |
| Reference number | 96001208 |
| Resource type | District |
| Period of significance | 1819-1946 |
| Architectural style | Vernacular Federal and Greek Revival; Italianate; Queen Anne; Romanesque Revival; Spanish Revival; Colonial Revival; Craftsman |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Transportation, Commerce, Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | The Centerville Boro Building is stated to presently stand vacant; the district otherwise retains good integrity. |
| Acreage | 25 |
| Coordinates | 40.04378, -79.97343 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
This is a historic district. Buildings within its boundary are either contributing (they add to the district's significance) or non-contributing. Owners of contributing income-producing buildings can claim the 20% federal rehabilitation tax credit; homeowners should look at state credits. National Register districts impose no design review by themselves; a local historic district ordinance, if one exists, does (the difference explained).
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 96001208.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q5060130
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.