Built in 1817 in the Federal architecture. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places in
1985. 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 Acton House is a historic house in located at 115 West Main Street in downtown Eaton, Ohio, United States. It is locally significant for both its architecture and its connection to John Acton.”
Wikipedia article Acton House, CC BY-SA 4.0.
one of 16 National Register listings in Preble County · listed in 1985 · category: Building · built in 1817, Federal architecture.
Architectural style. Federal architecture, Italianate architecture
National Register reference number.85001944- 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
1,164 words
The chapter on Eaton City in History of Preble County Ohio, published 1881 names Eaton. This is what it says, exactly as the scans read.
In laying before our patrons the history of Preble county, the publishers wish not only to return thanks to all who have given them encouragement in their undertaking and assistance in carrying out their plans, but to make especial acknowledgment of services afforded, and courtesies extended by many citizens of Eaton and of the various townships of the county. Some measure of assistance in collecting and compiling the materials which compose this volume, it is safe to say, has been Fully that number of people have been interviewed by our historians received from, at least, a thousand persons. and note-collectors. While we wish all to feel themselves the recipients. of our gratitude, we desire also to address our thanks personally to a few individuals who have been qualified and enabled, through the possession of, or ability to secure information upon, certain single topics, to lend the members of our writing corps invaluable aid. To the clergy generally, the editors of the several newspapers and the always painstaking and obliging county officials we extend our sincerest thanks for many favors received. Among individuals we feel it our duty even at the risk of being invidious, to mention gratefully-as those from whom important assistance has been secured, Thomas J. Larsh, esq., Judge John V. Campbell, Levin T. McCabe, Judge Curry, S. H. Hubbell, R. G. D. Mc- Kemy, Jacob Chambers, Alfred Demy, C. W. Moore, Frank Mitchell, Dr. F. M. Michael and Robert W. Quinn, esq., all of Eaton, as well as Col. George D. Hendricks and Joseph D. Tracey, late of the same place, and that old-time and always esteemed citizen-of Eaton, now and for many years a resident of Indianapolis - Mr. George Bruce. To the late Dr. W. H. H. B. Minor, whose death has occurred since the inception of this ' work, we have been largely indebted for facts in connection with the history of Eaton.
Regional context, not property-specific
evidence. Museums hold 890 specimens
collected within 10 miles of Acton House between 1877 and
1974: 819 Animalia, 46 Fungi, 25 Plantae. 12 distinct Species records are shown.
Collected by A.R. Gaufin, H.H. Ross, Arden R. Gaufin, B. Fink 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.
Regional context, not property-specific
evidence. The National Weather Service names
Eaton, the town this property stands in, in 75 storm reports between 1994 and 2023: 43 thunderstorm wind, 19 hail, 10 flash flood, 2 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.
Fifteen or more large trees were knocked down near Eaton High School. An equipment trailer and a marching band tower were blown over by high wind, and there was damage to fencing at the athletic complex. Also, shingle damage occurred to roofs along Hillcrest Drive from wind and hail.
A two story 100 foot by 100 foot barn was destroyed. A camper was blown into the road near the intersection of US Route 35 and Wayne Trace Road just east of Eaton.
5 papers 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.
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
3,022 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
double hung sash front windows with stone headers above and plain stone sills The interior of the house contains a graceful curved stairway in a center bay which reflect approximate wall thicknesses. Iights and rectangular transom was added,along with the metal standing seam diagram.Also around this time a second floor addition was added to the rear The house continued to grow without changing this facade through a below.Approximately three-quarters of the remaining glass in the windows A porch with battered piers decorated with back scrolled brackets and covered buiidings in the city of Eaton and in Preble County located on Main Street one course common bonding.The foundation material isof sawn stone. chamfered to the glass.
roof,which ends ina boxed cornice.This addition is shown as part Bon the Originally built around l8l7,Acton House is significant as one of the oldest in the sections of the house from the 1820's and 1840's (parts A and B) are - deteriorated X altered 1840's, the 1870's and the early 1900's, respectively. These additions can be have hood molds, which match the doorway moldings (photos 2, 5). The windows leading to the mid-second and second floors with full sided wood paneling.
unaltered Revival styles.The stairway presents a floating effect with a geometric single-story rear addition, also brick, which would have been added in the retained.Fireplace mantles show influences of the Egyptian Revival and Greek during this period the Greek Revival style front door (see photo 2) with side with a small dormer (possibly this had previously been an open porch). 1870's.This addition is shown as part C on the diagram.Photograph1, 8.
Statement of significance
/Architect Statement of Significance (in one paragraph) Actons, a prominent early family in Eaton, especially John P. Acton who made Beginning in the 1810's and continuing into the 1890s, the Actons the progression of 19th century residential architecture in Eaton, the house the three bay, two story brick house and a small frame hattery (located on the Bank, the largest bank in the county and locally operated by the Hiestand it was purchased by the present owners. Architectürally the Acton House displays a progression of 19th century Intricate eclecticism of the late 19th century.
The Federal style was evident 1400-1499 1500-1599 transportation unknown humanitarian theater Period literature science prehistoric 1900- military the mill was operated by his grandsons under the name Hiestand and Company significant contributions to the commercial development of the city.
social/ surround.This type of composite or transitional architecture is typical of Hamilton Railroad and was involved in securing the construction of the Lake John P.Acton was active in promoting public improvements and was influential The Acton House is significant under Criterion B for its associations with the two bays and added the rectangular transom and side lights to the entrance 1700-1799-art John P.Acton was born on September 4,1815.He grew up in the Acton House furnished a host of building supplies to the community.After Acton's death In 1849 he built and operated a prosperous steam saw mill just west of seven architectural styles from the simplicity of the antebellum period to the more Mill Creek.He operated a large lumber company known as Acton and Deem and in its original three bay facade with side entrance, flat stone lintels and is significant under Criteria C.
---economics Erie and Southwestern Railroad into Preble County in the 1850s.Upon John P.
Quoted from the National Register nomination
for reference 85001944, 33 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.
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.
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