Rombach Place

Built in 1831 in the Greek Revival architecture. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1979. A historic map-sheet match is not published yet. The record needs a coordinate-quality review before it can be joined to a sheet boundary.

From the record

“The Rombach Place is a historic house in the city of Wilmington, Ohio, United States. Built in the first third of the nineteenth century, it was home to a family that produced two prominent national politicians.”
Wikipedia article Rombach Place, CC BY-SA 4.0.

one of 11 National Register listings in Clinton County · listed in 1979 · category: Building · built in 1831, Greek Revival architecture.

Sources: the Wikipedia article · the case file at the National Archives · the National Register database, National Park Service

The listing

What is counted as historic. The nomination lists 1 building as contributing to the listing.
Address. 149 E. Locust St, Wilmington, 45177
When was it listed? 1979-06-20
Category. building
Township. Union township
When was it built? 1831
Architectural style. Greek Revival architecture
National Register reference number. 79001793 - the number the National Park Service assigned this property when it was listed, and the key its nomination file is catalogued under at the National Archives.

The ground it stands on

7,216 words

The chapter on Union Township in History of Clinton County Ohio, published 1915 names Wilmington. This is what it says, exactly as the scans read.

East from Wilmington to the township line, the land is level. but the southeast portion of the township is somewhat undulating. Following the source of Cowan's creek southwest from Burtonville, the Jand is rough and broken. Between Cowan's creek and Wilmington, the land is more level, but along Todd's fork. north and west of Wilmington, it is undulating and well-drained. For the most part, the soil of the township is a dark loam, extending to some depth, and is particularly adapted to the culture of grain and grasses. Along Cowan's and Lytle's creeks, the soil is of a mixture of dark and yellow loam and is especially good for wheat. Along Todd's fork the soil is a mixture of loam and clay, and the bottom lands, although small, are very valuable on aceount of the richness of the soil.

Passage source: History of Clinton County Ohio, published 1915.

One of the very earliest pioneers of Clinton county was Timothy Bennett, who came to the Northwest territory in 1800 and, in the middle of March, 1801, settled one and one-half miles east of where Wilmington now stands. He was born in New Jersey, near Philadelphia, on January 27, 1765, and little is known of his early history except that he was reared on a farm. After reaching maturity, he moved to Westmoreland county, Pennsylvania, where he was married. in 1789, to Elizabeth Hoblitt. the daughter of Michael Hoblitt, a native of Germany and the ancestors of the Hoblitts of Clinton and Greene counties. In the fall of 1789. Mr. Bennett. in company with his wife's father and family, went down the Ohio river to Limestone, now Maysville, Kentucky. Although the Indians were exceedingly troublesome at that time, the party managed to land in safety. After exploring the country in various directions. they finally located at a point near the present town of Versailles, in Woodford county. and here Mr. Bennett lived for ten years. In the fall of 1790, Mr. Bennett joined the expedition of General Harmar. which rendezyvoused at Cincinnati, then a small village. whence they marched north to old Chillicothe. Mr. Bennett was honorably discharged near this point and sent home, having become too lame to travel on account of a cancer on his leg.

Passage source: History of Clinton County Ohio, published 1915.

Machine-read from a century-old scan, so expect the errors a machine makes: misspelled names, dropped words, stray characters.

Read the whole chapter on Union Township - 7,216 words on its settlement, mills, schools and churches.

Specimens collected near this property

12 of 492 shown

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. Museums hold 492 specimens collected within 10 miles of Rombach Place between 1892 and 1974: 423 Animalia, 55 Fungi, 11 Plantae, 3 Unrecorded. 12 distinct Species records are shown. Collected by A. R. Gaufin, A.R. Gaufin, H.H. Ross, Allen, A. (Avery) and others. Each is a physical object with a catalogue number, and each entry opens the museum's record. This is what was collected and kept, not a survey of what lives here - nothing can be concluded from a species being absent.

Species	Year	Collected by	Where, as recorded
Guepinia spathularia (Schwein.) Fr.	1923	Taylor, C.L.	Wilmington
Boletellus chrysenteroides (Snell) Snell	1935	Cooke, William Bridge	Cowan's Creek
Boletus bicolor Raddi	1935	Cooke, William Bridge	Cowan's Creek
Desmodium pauciflorum (Nutt.) DC.	1892	J. S. Vanderwort	New Antioch
Pseudosuccinea columella (Say, 1817)	1911	not recorded	Clinton, North America
Claviceps purpurea (Fr.) Tul.	1919	Lewis H. L.	Wilmington
Cladonia fimbriata (L.) Fr.	1923	Taylor, C.J.	Wilmington
Parmelia Acharius, 1803	1924	Taylor, L.	Wilmington
Peltigera praetextata (Flörke ex Sommerf.) Zopf	1924	Taylor, C.L.	Wilmington
Etheostoma variatum Kirtland, 1840	1926	Wickliff, E. L. (Edward L.)	Todd Fork, near present day US 68 estimated based off Fishes of Ohio map
Mustela frenata Lichtenstein, 1831	1927	Hazard, F. O.	Reesville, Clinton Co., Ohio, USA
Acris crepitans Baird, 1854	1929	Hazard, F. O.	near Wilmington, Clinton Co., Ohio

All 492 specimens within 10 miles, at the Global Biodiversity Information Facility.

Storms near this property

60 of 112 shown

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The National Weather Service names Wilmington, the town this property stands in, in 112 storm reports between 1994 and 2025: 69 thunderstorm wind, 30 hail, 4 tornado, 4 flood. No death or injury is recorded in these reports. Each account below is quoted exactly as the forecast office filed it, from the NOAA Storm Events Database, and each date opens the federal record of that event.

When	Event	Place named	Harm	What the report says
March 2019	Thunderstorm Wind	Wilmington	$100,000	Multiple power poles and power lines were downed across the county. Several barns were also damaged throughout the county.
May 1998	Hail	Wilmington	$100,000	Hail as large as baseballs occurred around Wilmington. Extensive damage occurred ranging from broken car windows to 4 airplanes at Airborne Express, which is located at the Wilmington Airport.
June 1996	Lightning	Wilmington	$100,000	no account filed
May 2002	Tornado (F0)	Wilmington	$50,000	A weak tornado touched down just west of the Interstate 71/US Route 68 interchange, skipping across the interstate for a few minutes before lifting back into the clouds. Minor structural damage occurred at the exit to the Bush RV Center and at the Ramada Plaza Hotel. Several cars parked in the Ramada lot had windows blown out.
May 1996	Lightning	Wilmington	$50,000	no account filed
October 2001	Thunderstorm Wind	Wilmington	$40,000	A measured 69 mph gust occurred at the Wilmington National Weather Service office. Strong winds tore a roof off of a house in Sabina. The roofs of two houses were torn off in the vicinity of route 730 southwest of Wilmington. Trees were blown down in the Blanchester area. The Wilmington ASOS recorded a 58 mph gust.
October 2010	Thunderstorm Wind	Wilmington	$35,000	One barn was destroyed and another barn was damaged due to thunderstorm winds. Trees were also reported down due to damaging thunderstorm winds.
October 2010	Thunderstorm Wind	Wilmington	$30,000	Severe barn damage occurred along Ireland Road. Trees were also reported down along Ireland and Cuba Roads due to damaging thunderstorm winds.
May 2007	Thunderstorm Wind	Wilmington	$30,000	A metal shed was severely damaged near the intersection of State Route 134 and Dover Road. The Wilmington High School auditorium sustained roof damage. The tops of three trees were snapped off in town.
June 2002	Thunderstorm Wind	Wilmington	$25,000	A barn was demolished on State Route 350 between Farmers Road and State Route 73.
May 2009	Hail	Wilmington	$20,000	Hail up to quarter size fell for an extended period and collected in piles.
July 2002	Thunderstorm Wind	Wilmington	$20,000	A number of trees were downed along State Route 134. Several boats were overturned on Cowan Lake.
May 1998	Tornado (F1)	Wilmington	$20,000	A tornado briefly touched down just west of State route 380. Many trees were downed, some of which fell on top of a house causing significant damage.
May 2002	Thunderstorm Wind	Wilmington	$15,000	A few trees were downed. Several homes had siding peeled from the structure.
May 2001	Thunderstorm Wind	Wilmington	$15,000	Numerous trees downed in the ? country club. Three-quarter inch diameter hail also fell in Sabina.
April 2025	Thunderstorm Wind	Wilmington	$10,000	A barn collapsed.
November 2013	Thunderstorm Wind	Wilmington	$10,000	Roofing materials were blown off of two buildings due to thunderstorm winds.
July 2011	Thunderstorm Wind	Wilmington	$10,000	Siding was reported torn off of a garage. A trailer and a flag pole were damaged. These occurrences were due to damaging thunderstorm winds.
November 1998	Thunderstorm Wind	Wilmington	$10,000	The roof was blown off a barn and winds gusted to 58 mph at the National Weather Service office.
April 2002	Hail	Wilmington	$10,000	no account filed
May 2007	Thunderstorm Wind	Wilmington	$8,000	A building sustained minor structural damage along New Oglesbee Road. A fence was bent and tree limbs were downed in the vicinity of the building as well.
June 2021	Thunderstorm Wind	Wilmington	$7,000	Several trees and large branches were downed along Orchard Drive.
July 2024	Thunderstorm Wind	Wilmington	$6,000	Several large trees were downed in the Wilmington area.
April 2006	Thunderstorm Wind	Wilmington	$6,000	Windows were blown out of stores along Rombach Avenue. The Walmart Center on the east side of town sustained some structural damage. Six power poles were also downed along US Route 68.
April 2006	Thunderstorm Wind	Wilmington	$6,000	A large tree fell on a car, causing extensive damage to the vehicle.
June 2001	Thunderstorm Wind	Wilmington	$6,000	Trees and limbs down with a roof reported blown off of a greenhouse
May 2025	Thunderstorm Wind	Wilmington	$5,000	Several trees were downed and several other trees had large branches downed. A nearby home had roofing ductwork blown off.
June 2022	Thunderstorm Wind	Wilmington	$5,000	Several large trees were downed.
October 2010	Thunderstorm Wind	Wilmington	$5,000	A chicken coop was blown 35 yards away due to damaging thunderstorm winds. A few trees were also reported down due to the winds.
May 2004	Thunderstorm Wind	Wilmington	$5,000	Ten power poles were snapped along State Route 73 just east of Interstate 71. 0.88 inch hail also occurred with the storm.
May 2001	Tornado (F0)	Wilmington	$5,000	A brief tornado touchdown was observed by air traffic controller at Wilmington Airport
April 2000	Thunderstorm Wind	Wilmington	$5,000	Trees were knocked down at the intersection of Highway 68 and West Walker Road.
July 2000	Flash Flood	Wilmington	$5,000	Three inches of rain in just a few hours caused flooding across State Route 134 at Brown Road. A few creeks exceeded their banks.
July 1999	Thunderstorm Wind	Wilmington	$5,000	Trees were knocked down across Highway 68 north of Wilmington.
July 1994	Thunderstorm Wind	Wilmington	$5,000	Trees were downed, some on power lines.
May 2009	Hail	Wilmington	$5,000	no account filed
July 1996	Thunderstorm Wind	Wilmington	$5,000	no account filed
August 2020	Thunderstorm Wind	Wilmington	$4,000	A tree was knocked down onto a house and power lines.
May 2005	Hail	Wilmington	$4,000	A car sustained minor damage from the hail.
May 1999	Thunderstorm Wind	Wilmington	$4,000	Four light poles on a baseball field were blown down.
November 2020	Thunderstorm Wind	Wilmington	$3,000	A large tree was downed onto a church pavilion.
August 2020	Thunderstorm Wind	Wilmington	$3,000	A tree was knocked down onto a car.
November 2013	Thunderstorm Wind	Wilmington	$3,000	Five trees were downed due to thunderstorm winds.
June 2012	Thunderstorm Wind	Wilmington	$3,000	Trees were reported down due to damaging thunderstorm winds.
February 2008	Thunderstorm Wind	Wilmington	$3,000	Two trees were knocked down along Antioch and Murphy Roads.
June 2005	Thunderstorm Wind	Wilmington	$3,000	Several trees were downed.
April 2003	Thunderstorm Wind	Wilmington	$3,000	A few trees and a power pole were downed along Jenkins Road.
June 2001	Thunderstorm Wind	Wilmington	$3,000	Thunderstorms produced a wind gust to 59 mph at the National Weather Service office. Trees and a power pole were also knocked down.
June 2001	Flash Flood	Wilmington	$3,000	High water on Gurneyville Road
May 1995	Thunderstorm Wind	Wilmington	$3,000	Several trees downed.
May 2009	Hail	Wilmington	$3,000	no account filed
February 2002	Hail	Wilmington	$3,000	no account filed
July 2015	Thunderstorm Wind	Wilmington	$2,000	A few trees were downed near Quaker Way and Fife Avenue.
July 2015	Thunderstorm Wind	Wilmington	$2,000	Several large trees were downed near Blackthorne Court.
August 2003	Thunderstorm Wind	Wilmington	$2,000	Two large limbs were downed.
June 2000	Thunderstorm Wind	Wilmington	$2,000	Power lines were downed on route 68 south of Wilmington. A large tree blocked the intersection of Fife and Ludovic.
May 2025	Thunderstorm Wind	Wilmington	$1,250	A large healthy tree was downed. Other nearby trees had multiple limbs downed.
June 2021	Thunderstorm Wind	Wilmington	$1,000	A tree was downed at a property on U.S. Route 22 near Nelson Avenue.
May 2020	Thunderstorm Wind	Wilmington	$1,000	A large tree was snapped in half along Main Street by Clinton Memorial Hospital.
August 2020	Thunderstorm Wind	Wilmington	$1,000	A tree was blown down into the road.

Every storm recorded in Clinton County

Map coverage status

No historic map-sheet match is published for this property yet. That does not mean no map exists. This record needs a coordinate-quality review before it can be joined to a sheet boundary. Browse the county's mapped places while that work is pending.

From the nomination file

1,610 words on record

When this property was proposed for the National Register, someone wrote the case for it: what the building is, and why it matters. That document is a federal record in the public domain. It is quoted below word for word, never summarised. The text was read off the scanned case file by machine, so the occasional stray character is the recogniser's and the 1970s typewriter's.

Description of the property

CONDITION UNEXPOSED DESCRIPTION UNALTERED XALTERED FAIR CHECK ONE Rombach Place is a two-story brick structure with T-layout.The front rectangular over a double window flanked by two narrow windows on the first-story.The entire Society acquired it for its museum and offices. block is five bays wide and two deep.It has a gabled shingle roof and corbelled porch was added on the gable and at this time also, and this was enclosed for to the corners.The shallow two-story rectangular projection to the rear of the Wickersham and was used as a residence until 1955 when the Clinton County Historical western porch was apparently also added in l92l.It features a fan light transom house was stuccoed in 1937.
extended across the western gable end was enclosed in l92l and quoins were added have plain stone lintels and sills and are 6/6.It was built in 183l by Robert brick chimneys at each end.The cornice is a plain box gutter and the windows _EXCELLENT -RUINS -GOOD The house has had several porch additions. The small classical porch on the facade dates from 192l and replaced a three bay Italianate structure.An open pillared AREAS OF

Statement of significance

soldier, lawyer, and statesman. to teach school in his early 20's. He began the study of law in the 1840s, attended to Missouri, he established a practice in Platte City, and edited the local newspaper. involved in state politics, being elected as a State Senator and then Throughout his journeys to Missouri and California, Denver maintained his ties to Wilmington; and in November 1856 married Louise Rombach, the daughter of a prominent After serving for two years in that office, he returned to his former position with Following the conclusion of the war, he returned to Wilmington and in 1870 served traveled between Wilmington and Washington, D. C. where he maintained a law practice. He died in 1902. by the Clinton County Historical Society.
Now used as a museum, Rombach Place remains 1400-1499 1700-1799 CONSERVATION ARCHEOLOGY-HISTORIC BUILDER/ARCHITECT EDUCATION ECONOMICS ART AGRICULTURE ENGINEERING X1800-1899 SIGNIFICANCE PERIOD EXPLORATION/SETTLEMENT ARCHITECTURE TRANSPORTATION 1900- LITERATURE MILITARY INDUSTRY 1500-1599 XPOLITICS/GOVERNMENT as an unsuccessful candidate for Congress.He became active in organizing a national _COMMUNICATIONS extraordinarily cosmopolitan individual who achieved national prominence as a In 1857 President Buchanan appointed Denver governor of the Kansas Territories.
a home for his new bride.Although Denver subsequently continued his western activi- and was appointed a Brigadier General of the state volunteers at the outbreak of subsequently appointed Commissioner of Indian Affairs by President Buchanan. Rombach Place is significant for its associations with James W.Denver, an _PHILOSOPHY society of the veterans of the Mexican War and served as its president for a number -SCULPTURE When the Mexican War started he served with distinction as an officer with Winfield as a representation of a unique l9th century statesman-lawyer. The house remained as the Rombach family residence until 1955 when it was acquired ties he always maintained this Wilmington house as his home.

Read the complete 1,610-word case file.

The whole case file for this property - 1,610 words, 12 pages, reproduced complete.

Quoted from the National Register nomination for reference 79001793, 12 pages, held by the National Archives in Record Group 79. See the catalogue record.

Listed places nearby

5 within 8 miles

Other National Register properties close enough to walk or drive between, ordered by distance from this one. Both positions come from the same geocoding pass that matched these properties to their map sheets.

Property	Distance	Listed
College Hall, Wilmington College	0.4 miles	1973
Main Building School	0.5 miles	1980
Doan House	0.7 miles	1979
Cowan Creek Circular Enclosure	6.0 miles	1974
Harvey, Eli, House	7.2 miles	1978

Sources for this property

National Archives record	The nomination case file for reference 79001793 in Record Group 79.
Wikipedia article	Community-written account of this property, licensed CC BY-SA.
Clinton County	All 11 listed properties in this county.

Provenance

Listing record. National Park Service National Register of Historic Places, listed-properties dataset, current to 2026-05-22.
Map join. Address geocoded through the United States Census geocoder, then tested against the published boundary of every sheet in the USGS Historical Topographic Map Collection.
How this page is made. Listing fields come from federal records; map-sheet coverage is a labelled coordinate-to-boundary calculation, not a source-field claim.
Specimens. Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF), https://www.gbif.org/. Only records licensed CC0 or CC BY are used. Records licensed CC BY-NC are excluded because this site carries advertising. Images are checked individually and any whose licence is non-commercial, no-derivatives or unreadable is refused.
Storms. NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/stormevents/ A work of the United States government, no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105. Narratives are quoted verbatim from the National Weather Service report and are not edited or summarised.