Cook, John, Farm

Description of the property

land, all that remains of a 600 acre Harlem Township farm which dates back to 1805. The two-story farmhouse, built in 1863 on a stone foundation, is nearly square in narrow, lapped siding. At the roofline there is a wide, plain frieze, carved brackets, and an overhanging cornice. The flattened hip roof, covered with standing seam metal, once had a deck which has been removed. There are two interior chimneys. on the second floor and one on the first floor, placed toward the facade. Attached to the "L" is a later, one-car garage. It is rectangular in shape and of the property is the original iron fence, gate, and hitching post. story, gable-roofed, frame barn.

The barn has weathered vertical siding, metal roof, CONDITION MOVED DETERIORATED EXCELLENT DATE UNALTERED XALTERED FAIR CHECK ONE entry porch.The porch has four, square columns across the front and two pilasters also dated 1863 and has a center entrance and a single chimney centrally placed had a gable roof.The rear elevation has three bays.The left and center bays o plan.The three-bay facade(north) hasa center entry protected bya flat-roofed East of the house is a small pond surrounded by trees. East of the pond is a 2-l/2 The Cook Farm consists of a large farmhouse and three frame barns on 40 acres of Windows across the rear of the house and "L' have been altered.Across the front Cook generations.

Each time the older parents, owners of the farm, lived in the and a foundation wall of stone. North of the pond, across the street, is another similar barn . This one has two small, shed-roofed additions on the east side. are double-hung, 2/2 lights with simple label moldings. The house is covered with the east is an attached, one-story, gable-roofed "L".

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Statement of significance

The John Cook Farm represents the remains of a once large, early Ohio farm in Harlem of the area into "bedroom communities" for the cities of Delaware, Westerville, and already been sold, but this 1860's house and three barns remain, tokens of early the land, including John (b.1819) who took over the farm after his father's death 353 acres and supported both dairy and beef cattle, sheep, hogs, and produced wheat, 1500-1599 1863 1600-1699 1400-1499 X1800-1899 ECONOMICS COMMUNICATIONS 1700-1799 RELIGION ARCHEOLOGY-HISTORIC PHILOSOPHY PERIOD LAW INVENTION ARCHITECTURE BUILDER/ARCHITECT TRANSPORTATION EDUCATION POLITICS/GOVERNMENT ART THEATER 1900- maintain them. SIGNIFICANCE MILITARY LITERATURE INDUSTRY XAGRICULTURE farming efforts in Harlem Township.

_CONSERVATION the land was divided 4 ways.Two daughters own the house and barns and wish to in 1839. -COMMERCE local history John Cook ENGINEERING The acreage on which the complex stands was purchased in 1805 by Benjamin Cook, Esq. _PREHISTORIC John Cook maintained a 573 acre farm and built the house in 1863.The barns were Harlem Township ata sheriff's auction after the original patentee failed to make of 16,000 acres was farmland.Today modern housing developments have turned much SCIENCE -MUSIC -COMMUNITY PLANNING Township, Delaware County. In the early to mid 1800's nearly the entire township for 42¢ acre. Benjamin (b. 1759), a native of Connecticut, bought 4,000 acres in also built by John, though earlier (dates unknown). John raised cattle and grains.

He married in 1853 and subsequently had 6 children. He died in the late 1880's and ARCHEOLOGY-PREHISTORIC for housing and recreation. Much of the original acreage of the Cook farm has permanent settler of Harlem Township.He had twelve children to help him with payment. He retained about 600 acres for his own use and resold the rest at his son, Herbert 187l) took over.Early in the 1900's the farm consisted of