Mount Oval | |
Roadside view of the house | |
   | |
| Location | Off U.S. Route 23, south of Circleville, Ohio |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 39°31′42″N82°57′59″W / 39.52833°N 82.96639°W Coordinates: 39°31′42″N82°57′59″W / 39.52833°N 82.96639°W |
| Area | 4 acres (1.6 ha) |
| Built | 1832 |
| Architectural style | Palladian |
| NRHP reference # | 74001593 [1] |
| Added to NRHP | July 25, 1974 |
Mount Oval is a historic farmhouse in the south central part of the U.S. state of Ohio, south of the city of Circleville. Built in the 1830s, it was home to some of the region's more prominent farmers, and it has been named a historic site.
A farmhouse is a building that serves as the primary residence in a rural or agricultural setting. Historically, farmhouses were often combined with space for animals called a housebarn. Other farmhouses may be connected to one or more barns, built to form a courtyard, or with each farm building separate from each other.
In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are currently 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory and shares its sovereignty with the federal government. Due to this shared sovereignty, Americans are citizens both of the federal republic and of the state in which they reside. State citizenship and residency are flexible, and no government approval is required to move between states, except for persons restricted by certain types of court orders. Four states use the term commonwealth rather than state in their full official names.
Ohio is a Midwestern state in the Great Lakes region of the United States. Of the fifty states, it is the 34th largest by area, the seventh most populous, and the tenth most densely populated. The state's capital and largest city is Columbus.
The first settler at the site of Mount Oval was John Boggs, who purchased the property from the U.S. government in 1806; the deed for the property was signed by Thomas Jefferson and James Madison, at that time President of the United States and United States Secretary of State. Arriving at the property, he discovered extensive evidence of aboriginal occupation at the site: localities such as Chief Cornstalk's Town, Camps Charlotte and Lewis, Grenadier Squaw Town, and Logan Elm were all near Boggs' new property. Boggs remained on the property until 1832, when William Renick married Jane Boggs and built the present house. During the period that the Renicks owned Mount Oval, it became a prominent center of cattle farming: the Renicks became the first farmers in the region to supply their cattle to the East Coast. Later owners included the families of Bernard Young, Mary Tolbert, and Jacob Ludwig, although for several decades the Ludwigs rented the property to tenants. [2]
Thomas Jefferson was an American statesman, diplomat, lawyer, architect, and Founding Father who served as the third president of the United States from 1801 to 1809. Previously, he had served as the second vice president of the United States from 1797 to 1801. The principal author of the Declaration of Independence, Jefferson was a proponent of democracy, republicanism, and individual rights, motivating American colonists to break from the Kingdom of Great Britain and form a new nation; he produced formative documents and decisions at both the state and national level.
James Madison Jr. was an American statesman, lawyer, diplomat, philosopher, and Founding Father who served as the fourth President of the United States from 1809 to 1817. He is hailed as the "Father of the Constitution" for his pivotal role in drafting and promoting the United States Constitution and the United States Bill of Rights. He also co-wrote The Federalist Papers, co-founded the Democratic-Republican Party, and served as the fifth United States Secretary of State from 1801 to 1809.
The president of the United States (POTUS) is the head of state and head of government of the United States of America. The president directs the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces.
Mount Oval itself is a brick building with metal roof and elements of wood and stone. [3] Architecturally, the house is a pure example of the Palladian style of architecture, displaying some elements that are patterned after Villa Capra, a grand Palladian mansion in northern Italy. Among its more distinctive elements is an interior room dedicated to caring for the needs of cattlemen; the Renicks' cattle farming prompted them to construct dedicated facilities within their home.
Palladian architecture is a European style of architecture derived from and inspired by the designs of the Venetian architect Andrea Palladio (1508–1580). What is recognised as Palladian architecture today is an evolution of Palladio's original concepts. Palladio's work was strongly based on the symmetry, perspective and values of the formal classical temple architecture of the Ancient Greeks and Romans. From the 17th century Palladio's interpretation of this classical architecture was adapted as the style known as Palladianism. It continued to develop until the end of the 18th century.
Villa La Rotonda is a Renaissance villa just outside Vicenza in northern Italy, and designed by Andrea Palladio. The proper name is Villa Almerico Capra Valmarana, but it is also known as La Rotonda, Villa Rotonda, Villa Capra and Villa Almerico. The name "Capra" derives from the Capra brothers, who completed the building after it was ceded to them in 1592. Along with other works by Palladio, the building is conserved as part of the World Heritage Site "City of Vicenza and the Palladian Villas of the Veneto".
A cowman is a person who works specifically with cattle.
In 1974, Mount Oval was listed on the National Register of Historic Places, along with a single outbuilding; it qualified for inclusion because of its distinctive historic architecture. More than twenty-five different locations in Pickaway County are listed on the National Register, and Mount Oval achieved this distinction earlier than all but two of the others. [1]
The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance. A property listed in the National Register, or located within a National Register Historic District, may qualify for tax incentives derived from the total value of expenses incurred preserving the property.
This is a list of the National Register of Historic Places listings in Pickaway County, Ohio.
