BlockBefore
Photograph of Sen. Thomas J. Godfrey House
Photograph by Nyttend, Public domain. Via Wikimedia Commons.

Godfrey, Sen. Thomas J., House

Listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1980. 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

one of 28 National Register listings in Mercer County · listed in 1980 · category: Building.

Sources: 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. 602 W. Market St., Celina, 45822
  • When was it listed? 1980-11-26
  • Category. building
  • Township. Jefferson township
  • National Register reference number. 80003159 - 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.

Specimens collected near this property

12 of 289 shown

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. Museums hold 289 specimens collected within 10 miles of Godfrey, Sen. Thomas J., House between 1840 and 1975: 282 Animalia, 5 Plantae, 1 Unrecorded, 1 Bacteria. 12 distinct Species records are shown. Collected by . R. Slonakerj, Adler, K. K., Brown, H P 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.

Image SpeciesYear Collected by Where, as recorded
Specimen of Carex grayi J.CareyCarex grayi J.Carey1903Wetzstein A.
Specimen of Procambarus blandingii (Harlan, 1830)Procambarus blandingii (Harlan, 1830)1920R. RhoadesSt. Marys Lake at Celina
Specimen of unnamed1934P. P. PironeColdwater
A photograph of the species Silene virginica, not of this specimenSilene virginica L.1840J. Wolle, D. Blum
A photograph of the species Umbra limi, not of this specimenUmbra limi (Kirtland, 1840)1886Meek and HarrisMontezuma
A photograph of the species Ardea alba, not of this specimenArdea alba egretta Gmelin, 17891888J. R. SlonakerCelina
A photograph of the species Calidris canutus, not of this specimenCalidris canutus (Linnaeus, 1758)1888J. R. SlonakerCelina
A photograph of the species Ceryle alcyon, not of this specimenCeryle alcyon alcyon Cramp & Simmons, 1977-19941888J. R. SlonakerCelina
A photograph of the species Charadrius vociferus, not of this specimenCharadrius vociferus Linnaeus, 17581888J. R. SlonakerCelina
A photograph of the species Cistothorus palustris, not of this specimenCistothorus palustris dissaeptus Bangs, 19021888J. R. SlonakerCelina
A photograph of the species Gallinago gallinago, not of this specimenGallinago gallinago delicata (Ord, 1825)1888J. R. SlonakerCelina
A photograph of the species Porzana carolina, not of this specimenPorzana carolina (Linnaeus, 1758)1888J.R.S.Celina

All 289 specimens within 10 miles, at the Global Biodiversity Information Facility.

Mines and quarries near this property

2 within 5 miles

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal mineral resources record lists 2 workings within 5 miles of Godfrey, Sen. Thomas J., House: 1 past producer, 1 producer. 1 still produces. What was taken out: Limestone, General, Stone, Crushed/Broken. Distance is straight-line from the map coordinates, so a quarry counted here may appear on a neighbouring settlement's page as well.

Where SiteCommodity StatusRecorded
John W. Karch QuarryLimestone, GeneralPast ProducerSedimentary
John W. Karch QuarryStone, Crushed/BrokenProducer

Every working recorded in Mercer County

Storms near this property

60 of 85 shown

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The National Weather Service names Celina, the town this property stands in, in 85 storm reports between 1994 and 2026: 40 thunderstorm wind, 20 hail, 14 flood, 7 flash flood. The reports record 13 injuries. 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.

WhenEvent Place namedHarm What the report says
November 2017Tornado (EF2)Celina8 hurt, $5,000,000Law enforcement initially observed a funnel cloud near the intersection of Main Street and Schunk Road in Celina. Just to the northeast of this report is where it appears the tornado first touched down, where multiple tree limbs were knocked down between Main Street and W Bank Road.||It is believed that the tornado then skirted Grand Lake St. Marys, producing minor tree and structural damage near the corner of Lake Shore Drive and Elmgrove Avenue. The tornado then likely moved back over a small portion of Grand Lake St. Marys before knocking down a fence and a few small trees at the back parking lot of a Wendy's restaurant on E Market Street. A one story home on Vine Street also had shingles removed from about 10 percent of its roof. ||Further east on E Market Street, the tornado intensified as it impacted Lakeshore Auto Sales. This business had its roof completely destroyed. Along Lake Street, several large branches were knocked down on one property, with significant debris splatter on the east-facing side of a home along with some removal of siding.||Further east on E Market Street, another business had a significant portion of its roof removed, and windows at the front of the business were broken. On the 1100 block of E Livingston Street, tree damage was common and several of the homes also exhibited minor roof damage. One of the homes also had one large hardwood tree knocked down onto its second floor, producing significant roof damage. ||To the northeast, an outbuilding associated with a business on Grand Lake Road was completely destroyed. On the other side of Grand Lake Road, significant debris wrapped around a fence on Montgomery Field. Trees were also uprooted on adjacent May Street.||The most significant damage was then observed beginning at Crown Equipment Corporation. A significant portion of the roof was removed, and exterior walls on the southwest side of the building also collapsed. Damage was also noted on the east-facing side of the building. ||Businesses along Havermann Road were also affected, most notably C-Town Wings, where the front windows were blown out, and the Dollar General store which sustained considerable structural damage, including roof collapse and exterior wall failure. Observed damage from the Crown Equipment Corporation to the Dollar General store was consistent with EF2 tornadic winds.||Several businesses within a strip mall along Havermann Road also sustained some damage, particularly a sports store where the front doors were blown in and a portion of the roof collapsed into the store. ||Damage to the northeast of the strip mall became more sparse, however some trees were downed near the intersection of Howick Road and Riley Road. The end of the tornado appears to have occurred near the 8000 block of Riley Road.
June 2002Thunderstorm WindCelina1 hurt, $50,000High winds knocked down over 100 trees in the city, including twenty which were two feet in diameter or larger. There were several reports of trees falling on cars and homes producing minor damage. A woman sustained fractured ribs when a large branch struck her car during the storm. The storm also produced dime sized hail throughout town.
June 2012Thunderstorm WindCelina1 hurt, $30,000Several large limbs and power poles were down within the city due to thunderstorm winds. Roof of one structure was damaged. One tree fell on a camper at the fairgrounds, injuring one person.
June 2012Thunderstorm WindCelina1 hurt, $10,000Damage occurred to a stage due to thunderstorm winds at a festival in downtown Celina. One stage crew member was injured.
July 1994Thunderstorm WindCelina1 hurt, $5,000Trees and limbs were downed, some on power lines. A police officer responding to a call to check on downed power lines had to be treated after stepping out of the car into some standing water which had been electrified by the downed line.
June 2000LightningCelina1 hurtA girl was struck by lightning on a golf course and was hospitalized in critical condition. Time is estimated.
March 2024Tornado (EF1)Celina$500,000The tornado initially began in the city of Celina, a couple of blocks east of North Main Street, along East Anthony Street. A few houses received light damage to roofs and a few trees were knocked down. Additional light tree debris was noted along East Anthony Street toward College Avenue. The tornado continued eastward, causing tree and minor roofing damage to houses on Devonshire and Cumberland Drive. One house on Devonshire Drive had more significant roof damage. The tornado moved east from there, causing damage to the Menards store and Eastview Park, before crossing State Route 29. Sporadic tree damage was found between State Route 703 and State Route 29 as the tornado continued east. A few homes on Long Pine Drive and surrounding courts were damaged.||As the tornado neared Riley Road, it took on a more northeast motion, damaging several buildings south of State Route 29 before crossing from south to north. Damaged outbuildings, homes, and snapped/uprooted trees were then observed along Four Turkey Road north of State Route 29. After the tornado crossed State Route 29, the width of observed damage grew quite significantly, suggesting the circulation of the tornado grew. The observed damage, mostly consisting of damaged out-buildings, a few houses, and numerous trees, indicated an intensification of the tornado as well, with a swath of EF-1 damage stretching from Four Turkey Road to the Mercer/Auglaize County line. The tornado entered Auglaize County at 1808EST and continued east across the western part of the county before ending between Bay Road and Kettlersville Road at 1824EST.
July 2003Flash FloodCelina$500,000Major flooding continued across the county, with travel virtually at a standstill as many of the county roads were underwater. The worst flooding continued from Celina where Grand Lake Saint Marys was out of its banks, north to Rockford and Mendon with the Saint Marys River in record flood. Homes and businesses were flooded in Rockford, Celina, Mendon, and Montezuma.
July 2003Flash FloodCelina$500,000The spillway to Grand Lake Saint Marys overflowed onto US Route 127 and surrounding homes and businesses. An athletic club and medical office were under several feet of water. Beaver Creek remained well out of its banks, causing additional flooding of homes further downstream.
April 2011Tornado (EF2)Celina$340,000At the beginning of the path near Lake Street in Celina, substantial roof and chimney damage was observed and very large trees were uprooted and snapped. Further to the northeast along Havemann Road, damage occurred to a home improvement warehouse, where as much as twenty percent of the roof structure was uplifted and the HVAC units were moved. In addition, lumber impaled roofing material and damage occurred to indoor inventory. Also at this location, wooden fence walls were down and snapped at the base of their four by four fence posts. Nearby, numerous power poles were snapped and metal light posts were down. On the northwest corner of Havemann and Route 29, a large brick free standing grocery building suffered major damage, including nearly all of the roof being lifted off and one of the brick walls collapsing. Further to the northeast along the path, substantial damage occurred to a home along Staeger Road. The entire attached garage was destroyed with nearly a third of the roofing on the home gone. The siding on the second story of the home had been impaled by a two by four section of lumber. A small sport utility vehicle parked in the rear of the home was toppled and a twenty-five foot mobile home was moved nearly thirty yards. A forty by fifty foot steel framed outbuilding was completely demolished. A pontoon boat which was within this outbuilding was also moved at least fifteen yards. Additional damage further to the northeast in Mercer County occurred along Riley Road between Oldtown and Howick Roads. One wooden and one steel barn were destroyed. An additional steel frame building suffered door damage and damage to part of the roof and a wall. Estimated maximum wind speeds based on damage is 115 miles per hour.
February 2011Flash FloodCelina$250,000Multiple homes were flooded with water coming into the windows. Evacuations were also necessary across the flooded area.
April 2019FloodCelina$100,000Ohio Route 127 North was completely shut down due to high water.
July 2013Thunderstorm WindCelina$100,000Multiple trees were downed in the county due to thunderstorm winds. A mini mart suffered a partial building collapse in Celina. A tree was downed on top of a car in Celina.
April 1994Thunderstorm WindCelina$50,000Barn blown down, trees downed.
July 2003Flash FloodCelina$20,000Several roads were submerged in one foot of standing water. Homes on the south side of town sustained major basement flooding as Beaver Creek came out of its banks.
July 2020Thunderstorm WindCelina$10,000A tree was uprooted and fell onto two homes.
December 2006FloodCelina$10,000Heavy rain and strong southerly winds helped to push Grand Lake Saint Marys out of its banks along its northern shore from Celina east to the Mercer-Auglaize county line.
July 2003Flash FloodCelina$10,000Several homes in town sustained basement flooding. Numerous roads had high water.
July 1998Thunderstorm WindCelina$10,000Numerous trees downed.
November 1998Thunderstorm WindCelina$10,000Roof blown off a car port and trees down.
February 2009Thunderstorm WindCelina$8,000Several trees and power lines were knocked down. A trailer was blown into a road.
June 2005Thunderstorm WindCelina$8,000A wall was knocked down at a Bob Evans restaurant under construction. The construction site is located at the intersection of State Route 29 and Havemann Road.
May 2006HailCelina$6,000no account filed
April 2025Thunderstorm WindCelina$5,000Numerous trees were downed.
July 2024Thunderstorm WindCelina$5,000A tree fell on a home west of Celina.
August 2019Thunderstorm WindCelina$5,000Several limbs were knocked down on the north side of Celina. Also, some field tile was removed from an unknown type of structure.
April 2012Thunderstorm WindCelina$5,000Five electric poles were reported down on State Route 197. Two trees were also reported down in the area. This damage occurred due to thunderstorm winds.
March 2009Thunderstorm WindCelina$5,000A road sign was blown over. A shed sustained minor damage.
August 2007Thunderstorm WindCelina$5,000Several trees and large limbs were downed over the eastern part of the county.
August 2007Thunderstorm WindCelina$5,000Several trees, large limbs and transformers were downed near the county fairgrounds.
March 2007FloodCelina$5,000A few roads were flooded across the county.
July 1997Thunderstorm WindCelina$5,000Trees and power poles downed.
November 1994Thunderstorm WindCelina$5,000Minor structural damage occurred to a house.
June 1995Thunderstorm WindCelina$4,000Several large trees downed.
June 1995Thunderstorm WindCelina$4,000Several large trees and limbs were downed.
July 2013Thunderstorm WindCelina$3,000Five trees were reported down due to thunderstorm winds.
August 2007Thunderstorm WindCelina$3,000Large tree limbs were downed.
March 2007FloodCelina$3,000Several roads were flooded and closed across the county.
June 2005Thunderstorm WindCelina$3,000Winds were estimated near 60 mph with large limbs downed.
June 2004Thunderstorm WindCelina$3,000Trees were downed.
July 2003Thunderstorm WindCelina$3,000Trees and powerlines were downed.
July 2003Thunderstorm WindCelina$3,000Trees and large limbs were downed.
July 2003Thunderstorm WindCelina$3,000Trees and powerlines were downed across town.
August 2003Thunderstorm WindCelina$3,000Large limbs were downed.
July 2002Thunderstorm WindCelina$3,000Large limbs and power lines were blown down.
August 2011Thunderstorm WindCelina$2,000Trees were reported down due to damaging thunderstorm winds.
October 2010Thunderstorm WindCelina$2,000Numerous trees were reported down due to damaging thunderstorm winds.
June 2000Thunderstorm WindCelina$2,000Trees were downed on the south side of Celina.
July 2023Thunderstorm WindCelina$1,000A tree was downed along Fountain Avenue.
July 2020Thunderstorm WindCelina$1,000A tree was downed in the 700 block of Murlin Avenue.
June 2007HailCelina$1,000no account filed
April 2026Thunderstorm WindCelina$500Several large tree branches were downed.
July 2020Thunderstorm WindCelina$500A one and a half foot diameter tree limb fell onto a house.
June 2015Thunderstorm WindCelina$500Several large limbs knocked down at the high school and on Zillah Street.|.
May 1995Thunderstorm WindCelina$3Trees were downed.
April 2026FloodCelina-High water was reported in several yards in Celina.
March 2023FloodCelina-High water was reported at the intersection of Hellwarth and Mud Pike Roads.
June 2022FloodCelina-Street flooding was reported at the intersection of Wayne Street and North Mill Street.
July 2020FloodCelina-High water was reported on a few streets in Celina.
May 2019FloodCelina-High water was reported on many roads in the Celina area.

Every storm recorded in Mercer County

Newspapers printed here

0 digitised pages

1 paper published in this town, digitised by the Library of Congress and free to read: 0 issues, 0 pages. Every page is searchable, so a name or a street can be looked for directly in what the town printed about itself at the time.

NewspaperPublished
The Celina Democrat1895 to 1921

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

1,327 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

elaborately decorated with finials and pendants, and a 1/1 double hung sash The exterior is unaltered, except for the front porch, which has been re- Another porch on the east side of the house, which led to the office of Senator Godfrey, has also been replaced. All entrances have paneled doors with metal hood moulds, keystone, and arched transoms. All windows, except those on the rear, are long narrow 1/1 double hung brick entrance to the basement and 6/6 double hung sash windows. Centered vertically on the west side of the house are three porthole windows. The first floor, with its three oblong octagonal rooms that open off a perfectly octagonal hall, has high narrow windows that still incorporate the original indoor shutters of white walnut ovalo.

seasoned pine remain throughout the house, and has never been refinished. Condition ruins unexposed fair 7. Description staircase. The Thomas J.Godfrey two story brick house has five gable ends, Xoriginal site ing and the stone milk cooler is still intact. The original Italian marble fireplaces remain in the parlor and formal Check one window in each gable end. The roof is the original green Vermont slate, and has required only minor repairs. The rear portion of the house is hip with The ful1 basement has a limestone foundation, nine foot ceilings, and small house.

The original furnace is still in use, along with the hand-made and elabor- X altered Round ones are on the upper and lower levels, and a center oval one at the open placed.The decorative porch posts are square with Eastlake type ornamentation. single-pane windows with arched lintels are all around the basement level of the 8.

Statement of significance

(in one paragraph) The original woodwork of white walnut, black walnut, ash, and well-seasoned The house was two years in planning by Dayton architect, Luther Peters, and five years, and was president of the board for seven years. 1700-1799 commerce 1400-1499 1800-1899 transportation 1600-1699 1500-1599 communications art humanitarian theater engineering philosophy literature industry education archeology-historic politics/government music Period invention exploration/settlement social/ law Specific dates The Senator Thomas J.Godfrey house is architecturally significant because military original Italian marble fireplaces remain in the parlor and formal dining room.

1900- Godfrey served on the Board of Trustees for Ohio State University for twenty- it is the finest and best preserved example of Victorian Gothic style in land- _conservation pine has never been refinished. prosecuting attorney of Mercer County.In 1865 and 1867 he was elected State This house has historical significance as the home built and lived in by floors have three oblong octagonal rooms that open off a central hall.The _economics original ten acres of farmland on the west edge of Celina. .archeology-prehistoric community planning _ religion . architecture Senator Thomas J. Godfrey. Senator Godfrey was born in DarkeCounty, Ohio June 6, 1831. He was educated as a teacher, and later graduated law school at the Builder/Architect Luther Peters, Dayton, Ohio Senator.

In 1868 he began a term of President Pro Tem of the Senate and served landscape architecture locked northwestern Ohio.Its most unique feature is its shape.All three 9.

The whole case file for this property - 1,327 words, 12 pages, reproduced complete.

Quoted from the National Register nomination for reference 80003159, 12 pages, held by the National Archives in Record Group 79. See the catalogue record.

Listed places nearby

6 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.

Photograph PropertyDistance Listed
Riley, Calvin E., House0.6 miles1978
Otis Hospital0.7 miles1980
Grand Lake St. Marys Lighthouse5.2 miles1982
St. Aloysius Catholic Church7.8 miles1979
Philothea Catholic Church and Priest House7.8 miles1979
St. Sebastian Catholic Church and Rectory8.0 miles1979

Sources for this property

National Archives recordThe nomination case file for reference 80003159 in Record Group 79.
Mercer CountyAll 28 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.
  • Mines and quarries. USGS Mineral Resources Data System (MRDS) https://mrdata.usgs.gov/mrds/ A work of the United States government, no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105.
  • 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.