James and Sophia Clemens Farmstead

Historic house in Ohio, United States
United States historic place
James and Sophia Clemens Farmstead
Front and side of the farmhouse
40°4′39″N 84°47′43″W / 40.07750°N 84.79528°W / 40.07750; -84.79528
Area4 acres (1.6 ha)
Built1850
Architectural styleI-house
NRHP reference No.01000199[1]
Added to NRHPMarch 15, 2001

The James and Sophia Clemens Farmstead is a historic farm situated in western Darke County, Ohio, United States. Located at 467 Stingley Road,[1] approximately 1 mile (1.6 km) from the Indiana border,[2] it is among the oldest remaining buildings of a small community of free African-Americans 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 became prosperous farmers. Their success led 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. Over the years, 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 purchased in 1822.[5] The two-story brick I-house rests on a limestone foundation and is covered with a tin roof.[6] Though the house is presently uninhabited, a movement to restore the house and designate Longtown 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, along with the other building on the property.[1] It qualified for the Register both because of its place in local history and its association with James Clemens, who was seen as a significant individual in the history of Darke County.[6]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. March 13, 2009.
  2. ^ DeLorme. Ohio Atlas & Gazetteer. 7th ed. Yarmouth: DeLorme, 2004, 54. ISBN 0-89933-281-1.
  3. ^ a b James & Sophia Clemens Farmstead, National Park Service, n.d. Accessed 2010-08-15.
  4. ^ a b Wilson, Frazer. History of Darke County Ohio: From Its Earliest Settlement to the Present Time. Vol. 1. Milford: Hobart, 1914, 554.
  5. ^ a b Historic Ohio Town Fights 'Mega Dairy', National Public Radio, 2006-02-13. Accessed 2010-08-15.
  6. ^ a b Clemens, James and Sophia, Farmstead, Ohio Historical Society, 2007. Accessed 2010-08-15.
  • v
  • t
  • e
People
PlacesEvents
TopicsRelated
  • v
  • t
  • e
Topics
Lists by state
Lists by insular areas
Lists by associated state
Other areas
Related
  • National Register of Historic Places portal
  • Category
  • v
  • t
  • e
Historic district
  • Greenville South Broadway Commercial District
Darke County map
Other
properties
frontpage hit counter
Medium | kindergartner