McCracken-McFarland House facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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McCracken-McFarland House
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Front of the house
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 Location in Ohio
Location in the United States
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| Location | 216 N. 8th St., Cambridge, Ohio |
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| Area | Less than 1 acre (0.40 ha) |
| Built | 1825 |
| Architectural style | Greek Revival |
| NRHP reference No. | 79001848 |
| Added to NRHP | February 16, 1979 |
The McCracken-McFarland House is a special old house built in 1825 in Cambridge, Ohio, United States. It's known for its unique look and interesting past. This house was once home to important people in the city, including a community leader and a church minister. Today, it's recognized as a historic site because it's one of the few buildings in Cambridge that still looks like it did long ago.
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A Look Inside the McCracken-McFarland House
The McCracken-McFarland House has a style called Greek Revival. This means it looks a bit like ancient Greek temples. The outside of the house is covered in weatherboarding, which are long, thin wooden boards. It also has a roof made of slate.
What Makes the House Special?
The house sits a little higher than the sidewalk. You need to climb two small sets of steps to reach the front porch. This porch is quite grand, with six tall columns. The front of the house has two floors, and each floor has five sections, called bays. Most of these bays have windows. The main entrance is in the middle of the first floor. It has a special window above the door, called a transom light, and windows on either side, called sidelights. The roof is shaped like a triangle, which is called a gabled roof. There's a chimney at each end of the roof.
Even though it has Greek Revival features, the house mostly shows a simpler, local building style from when the area was first settled. This makes it very rare and special in Cambridge.
The People Who Lived Here
The McCracken-McFarland House has a rich history, connected to two important families in Cambridge.
William McCracken: From Blacksmith to Leader
William McCracken moved to Cambridge in 1809 when he was 22 years old. He started out as a blacksmith, someone who works with metal. But he was very successful and became one of the most important people in the local community. McCracken had this house built in 1825. He was so wealthy that he also built another brick house nearby in 1830.
William McFarland: A Minister's Home
A few years later, in 1832, William McFarland was born in New Athens. When he was 25, he became a minister in a church group that later became part of the United Presbyterian Church of North America. McFarland moved to Cambridge in 1860 to lead the United Presbyterian church there. He soon bought the McCracken-McFarland House. The house stayed in the McFarland family for many years. In 1966, his daughter gave the house to the Guernsey County Historical Society.
The House as a Museum
Since 1966, the Guernsey County Historical Society has turned the McCracken-McFarland House into a museum. This means people can visit it to learn about the history of Cambridge and see what life was like in the past.
A Recognized Historic Place
In early 1979, the McCracken-McFarland House was officially added to the National Register of Historic Places. This is a list of important buildings and sites in the United States that are worth protecting. The house earned this honor for two main reasons: its unique architecture and its connection to William McCracken, an important figure in Cambridge's history.
Another building in Cambridge that is also on the National Register is the McCracken-Scott House. This is the brick house that William McCracken built in 1830, showing his lasting impact on the city.
