Ohio Homestead facts for kids

Ohio Homestead is a special farm and a very old house located in Walcha, New South Wales, Australia. It was built a long time ago, between 1836 and 1839. This historic place is now owned by Ohio Homestead Pty Ltd. It was added to the New South Wales State Heritage Register on 2 April 1999, which means it's officially recognized as an important part of history.

A Glimpse into Ohio Homestead's Past

Ohio is the oldest house in Walcha. It's one of only two homes from the 1840s that still exist in the New England area. The house sits in a beautiful spot, looking over the Ohio Creek. It's surrounded by tall elm and pine trees that protect it from strong winds. A permanent waterhole in the creek probably helped people decide where to build the house.

Early Days and First Owners

The Ohio land was first settled around 1836 by John Herring Boughton. He lived quite far away, near the Paterson River. In July 1839, a government official named G. J. Macdonald visited the Walcha area. At that time, Ohio had three simple slab huts. Eight men lived there, and they had a five-acre paddock of wheat. They also looked after 3,285 sheep, nine cattle, and one horse.

In 1841, the first census (a count of people) in New South Wales was taken. It showed that thirteen men lived at Ohio. Most of them were shepherds who worked for Boughton. They were supervised by John Townshend.

The Nivison Family Arrives

In 1842, John Boughton sold his grazing license for Ohio to Abraham Nivison. Abraham was a Scotsman who had sailed from Scotland in 1839 with his new wife, Mary Wightman. They first gained experience in the Hunter Valley. Soon after, they bought the Ohio land and moved to the Northern Tablelands. They then started building the stone homestead that stands today.

When Mary Nivison arrived at Ohio, she was one of only about 120 women living in the huge New England area. Her first son was born in 1842 but sadly died before his second birthday. He is buried near the house. Abraham Nivison didn't officially own the Ohio land until 1854. Before that, he paid an annual fee to graze his animals there.

Growing the Property and Family

By 1847, Ohio covered about 20,000 acres. It had 4,250 sheep, 97 cattle, and eight horses. By 1851, the numbers grew to 5,356 sheep, 217 cattle, and 26 horses. Abraham Nivison also managed another property called Congi at the same time.

After several requests, Abraham Nivison was allowed to buy part of his main station. He bought more land over the next twenty years. He also bought other properties, like Tillimby, Yarrowitch, Prospect, and Thorndale.

Abraham Nivison cared deeply about his farm, his church, and his family. He tried new things to improve his farm. For example, he experimented with different pasture grasses. In 1868, he brought Tasmanian Merino sheep to Ohio to improve his fine wool flock. His children and grandchildren continued his interest in farming and improving the land.

By the 1870s, the Nivison family had expanded their land to about 30,000 acres. They changed their leases from government land to freehold, meaning they owned the land outright.

Community and Church Life

The Nivison family had a long history with the Presbyterian Church in Scotland. In New England, Abraham Nivison helped set up and support the Presbyterian Church. Traveling ministers visited Walcha from 1845. The first minister for New England was convinced to move his main base from Armidale to Walcha.

In 1857, a wooden Presbyterian Church was built. It was later replaced by the current church, which opened in 1888. Abraham Nivison donated the land for the church and gave money for its construction. It was first named St. Mary's after his wife, but the name was later changed to St. Paul's.

Abraham and Mary Nivison raised three sons and three daughters at Ohio. Mary Nivison passed away in 1873. Abraham lived for another 20 years, dying at Ohio in 1895.

Ohio Homestead Through Generations

After Abraham's death, the house was empty for some years. Around 1900, his eldest son, James, moved into Ohio with his family. James had been born at Ohio in 1848 and lived there until his death in 1914. He married Mary Perry in 1878, and they raised eleven children at Ohio.

James Nivison was a local magistrate and a member of the Armidale Pastures Protection Board. He loved sports and introduced golf to the area on the Ohio links. His sons formed the Ohio Polo team, which was very successful. Polo games were often held at Ohio.

On Mirani, which was part of the old Ohio property, experiments with pasture improvement began in the 1920s. This led to using planes to spread fertilizer in 1950. This greatly improved how much livestock the land could support.

Ohio remained the center of family life until Mary Nivison's death in 1931. The house then passed to another James Nivison, a grandson of Abraham. Many of Abraham Nivison's descendants continued his legacy. They became leaders in farming, horse and cattle judging, and wool production. Some even became involved in racing and technology.

A New Chapter and Restoration

In 1950, the Church of England took over Ohio. They used it as a boys' home for several years. Later, it became a conference center. When the Church decided to sell it in 1970, descendants of Abraham Nivison bought it back. Today, it is owned by Ohio Homestead Pty Ltd.

The Ohio estate is now divided into several properties, including Ohio, Ohio North, and Mirani. Together, these subdivisions cover roughly the same area as the original property. Jillian Oppenheimer, a family historian, now lives at Ohio with her husband, Bruce Mitchell. They bought Ohio back from the Church of England in 1970. They spent several years carefully restoring it to be a family home again. It looks very much like it did when it was finished in the 1860s.

What Ohio Homestead Looks Like

Ohio homestead was built in three main parts. The first part was likely a small stone cottage with four rooms. The second part was the southern section, which had three dormer windows. These windows let light into the bedrooms upstairs.

The builders used local materials like rough volcanic stone and timber. They also made bricks on site for the chimneys. The house has low ceilings and thick stone walls, similar to old Scottish houses. The inside walls were made of slab, lathe, and plaster. The roof is made of iron.

Four main rooms on the ground floor were warmed by brick fireplaces. These rooms opened from a central hallway. A staircase led up to the bedrooms. A stone kitchen building is located behind the main house. It's connected by a covered walkway, where vines used to grow.

Some years later, probably in the late 1870s or early 1880s, the house was made bigger. A new front door, entrance hall, and staircase were added. A sitting room was built downstairs with two smaller rooms next to it. Upstairs, there was another bedroom and storage space. Before 1900, an iron roof was put over the original wooden shingles. This allowed rainwater to be collected for use in the house. A stone store building was likely built around the same time, or perhaps earlier, around 1850.

Some extra wooden buildings were added behind the kitchen in the early 1900s. Most of the farm buildings were made of timber. The stables, which are no longer there, were made of cedar slabs. The woolshed, where sheep's wool is cut, dates from the early 1900s. Machine shearing equipment was installed there around 1905.

Changes Over Time

The house was extended to the north in the 1870s and 1880s. Around the 1890s, an iron roof was added over the shingles to collect rainwater. The Nivison family lived in the house until 1950. Then, the Church of England bought it. They used it as a boys' home and later as a conference center. In 1971, the church sold the property back to Abraham Nivison's descendants. It is now owned by Ohio Homestead Pty. Ltd. From about 1971 to 1980, the owners spent several years restoring it. They wanted it to look like a family home again, similar to how it was in the 1860s.

Why Ohio Homestead is Important

Ohio Homestead is Walcha's oldest house. It is very important to the history of how farms and rural areas developed in New South Wales a long time ago.

Ohio Homestead was officially listed on the New South Wales State Heritage Register on 2 April 1999.