- James and Sophia Clemens Farmstead
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James and Sophia Clemens Farmstead
Front and side of the farmhouse
Location: Liberty Township, Darke County, at 467 Stingley Rd. Nearest city: Palestine, Ohio Coordinates: 40°4′39″N 84°47′43″W / 40.0775°N 84.79528°WCoordinates: 40°4′39″N 84°47′43″W / 40.0775°N 84.79528°W Area: 4 acres (1.6 ha) Built: 1850 Architectural style: I-house Governing body: Private NRHP Reference#: 01000199[1] Added to NRHP: March 15, 2001 The James and Sophia Clemens Farmstead is a historic farm in far western Darke County, Ohio, United States. Located at 467 Stingley Road,[1] little more than 1 mile (1.6 km) from the Indiana border,[2] it is among the oldest extant buildings that remain from a small community of free blacks founded before the Civil War.[3]
The Clemens Barn, located immediately east of the house
Natives of Rockingham County, Virginia,[4] James and Sophia Clemens settled in Darke County in 1818 and soon became prosperous farmers. Their success led many other former slaves to migrate to the vicinity, and a community known as "Longtown" (alternately "Tampico"[4]) gradually grew up in the vicinity of the Clemens farm. As the years passed, the community became a center for the Underground Railroad, complete with a Quaker school known as the "Union Literary Institute"; among the movement's leaders in the community were the Clemens family.[3]
The Clemens house itself was erected circa 1850 on land that its residents purchased in 1822.[5] A two-story brick building, it rests on a limestone foundation and is covered with a tin roof. Built with an "I-house" floor plan,[6] Although the house today sits without human inhabitants, a movement to restore the house and designate the Longtown vicinity a state historic landmark began in the mid-2000s.[5] The Clemens house itself has been designated a historic site, having been listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2001, although with the other building on the property.[1] It qualified for the Register both because of its place in local history and because of its association with James Clemens, who was seen as a significant individual in the history of Darke County.[6]
References
- ^ a b c "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. 2009-03-13. http://nrhp.focus.nps.gov/natreg/docs/All_Data.html.
- ^ DeLorme. Ohio Atlas & Gazetteer. 7th ed. Yarmouth: DeLorme, 2004, 54. ISBN 0-89933-281-1.
- ^ a b James & Sophia Clemens Farmstead, National Park Service, n.d. Accessed 2010-08-15.
- ^ a b Wilson, Frazer. History of Darke County Ohio: From Its Earliest Settlement to the Present Time. Vol. 1. Milford: Hobart, 1914, 554.
- ^ a b Historic Ohio Town Fights 'Mega Dairy', National Public Radio, 2006-02-13. Accessed 2010-08-15.
- ^ a b Clemens, James and Sophia, Farmstead, Ohio Historical Society, 2007. Accessed 2010-08-15.
U.S. National Register of Historic Places Topics Lists by states Alabama • Alaska • Arizona • Arkansas • California • Colorado • Connecticut • Delaware • Florida • Georgia • Hawaii • Idaho • Illinois • Indiana • Iowa • Kansas • Kentucky • Louisiana • Maine • Maryland • Massachusetts • Michigan • Minnesota • Mississippi • Missouri • Montana • Nebraska • Nevada • New Hampshire • New Jersey • New Mexico • New York • North Carolina • North Dakota • Ohio • Oklahoma • Oregon • Pennsylvania • Rhode Island • South Carolina • South Dakota • Tennessee • Texas • Utah • Vermont • Virginia • Washington • West Virginia • Wisconsin • WyomingLists by territories Lists by associated states Other National Register of Historic Places in Darke County, Ohio Historic district Greenville South Broadway Commercial District
Other properties Bear's Mill | Anna Beir House | Broadway Bridge | Brown Township Building | Carnegie Library and Henry St. Clair Memorial Hall | James and Sophia Clemens Farmstead | Benjamin Franklin Coppess House | Darke County Courthouse, Sheriff's House and Jail | William English House | Fort Jefferson Site | Garst House | Greenville Mausoleum | Holy Family Catholic Church | Lambert-Parent House | Lansdowne House | Leftwich House | Dr. Donovan Robeson House | St. Louis Catholic Church and Rectory | St. Nicholas Catholic Church and Rectory | St. Peter Evangelical Lutheran Church | Studabaker-Scott House and Beehive School | Versailles Town Hall and Wayne Township House | Christopher C. Walker House and Farm | Waring House
Categories:- Houses completed in 1850
- Houses in Darke County, Ohio
- Farms in Ohio
- Houses on the National Register of Historic Places in Ohio
- Houses on the Underground Railroad
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