Mason House (Coal Run, Ohio)
Encyclopedia
The Mason House is a historic residence in the unincorporated community
of Coal Run
in Washington County
, Ohio
, United States
. A saltbox
built in 1802, it is among the most well-preserved buildings in Washington County constructed before Ohio's statehood in 1803.
The Mason House is a wooden clapboard
structure built on a foundation of sandstone
; it is covered with a slate
roof, and its architecture includes elements made of brick and of other kinds of stone. Its first owners (and likely its builders) were Daniel Davis and Joseph Thompson; a veteran of local Indian wars, Davis was a member of the garrison
for Fort Frye in nearby Waterford
. The Mason House's first residents, like many other pioneers in southeastern Ohio, were natives of New England
who had moved to what was then the western part of the United States. Among the cultural elements that they brought with them was their architecture; the saltbox
style of construction is more common in New England than in Ohio.
In 1979, the Mason House was listed on the National Register of Historic Places
; it qualified for inclusion because of its well-preserved and historically significant architecture. Seventeen years later, much of Coal Run was designated a historic district
and added to the Register; the Mason House was named one of its eighty-nine contributing properties
.
Unincorporated area
In law, an unincorporated area is a region of land that is not a part of any municipality.To "incorporate" in this context means to form a municipal corporation, a city, town, or village with its own government. An unincorporated community is usually not subject to or taxed by a municipal government...
of Coal Run
Coal Run, Ohio
Coal Run is an unincorporated community in northeastern Waterford Township, Washington County, Ohio, United States. Although it is unincorporated, it has a post office, with the ZIP code of 45721. It is located along State Route 60 between the villages of Beverly and Lowell...
in Washington County
Washington County, Ohio
Washington County is a county located in the state of Ohio. As of the 2010 census, the population was 61,778. Its county seat is Marietta. The county, the oldest in the state, is named for George Washington. Washington County is included in the Parkersburg-Marietta-Vienna, West Virginia-Ohio...
, Ohio
Ohio
Ohio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. A saltbox
Saltbox
A saltbox is a building with a long, pitched roof that slopes down to the back, generally a wooden frame house. A saltbox has just one story in the back and two stories in the front...
built in 1802, it is among the most well-preserved buildings in Washington County constructed before Ohio's statehood in 1803.
The Mason House is a wooden clapboard
Clapboard (architecture)
Clapboard, also known as bevel siding or lap siding or weather-board , is a board used typically for exterior horizontal siding that has one edge thicker than the other and where the board above laps over the one below...
structure built on a foundation of sandstone
Sandstone
Sandstone is a sedimentary rock composed mainly of sand-sized minerals or rock grains.Most sandstone is composed of quartz and/or feldspar because these are the most common minerals in the Earth's crust. Like sand, sandstone may be any colour, but the most common colours are tan, brown, yellow,...
; it is covered with a slate
Slate
Slate is a fine-grained, foliated, homogeneous metamorphic rock derived from an original shale-type sedimentary rock composed of clay or volcanic ash through low-grade regional metamorphism. The result is a foliated rock in which the foliation may not correspond to the original sedimentary layering...
roof, and its architecture includes elements made of brick and of other kinds of stone. Its first owners (and likely its builders) were Daniel Davis and Joseph Thompson; a veteran of local Indian wars, Davis was a member of the garrison
Garrison
Garrison is the collective term for a body of troops stationed in a particular location, originally to guard it, but now often simply using it as a home base....
for Fort Frye in nearby Waterford
Waterford, Ohio
Waterford is an unincorporated community in central Waterford Township, Washington County, Ohio, United States. Although it is unincorporated, it has a post office, with the ZIP code of 45786. It is located on State Route 339 across the Muskingum River from the village of Beverly, slightly below...
. The Mason House's first residents, like many other pioneers in southeastern Ohio, were natives of New England
New England
New England is a region in the northeastern corner of the United States consisting of the six states of Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut...
who had moved to what was then the western part of the United States. Among the cultural elements that they brought with them was their architecture; the saltbox
Saltbox
A saltbox is a building with a long, pitched roof that slopes down to the back, generally a wooden frame house. A saltbox has just one story in the back and two stories in the front...
style of construction is more common in New England than in Ohio.
In 1979, the Mason House was listed on the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
; it qualified for inclusion because of its well-preserved and historically significant architecture. Seventeen years later, much of Coal Run was designated a historic district
Historic district (United States)
In the United States, a historic district is a group of buildings, properties, or sites that have been designated by one of several entities on different levels as historically or architecturally significant. Buildings, structures, objects and sites within a historic district are normally divided...
and added to the Register; the Mason House was named one of its eighty-nine contributing properties
Contributing property
In the law regulating historic districts in the United States, a contributing resource or contributing property is any building, structure, or object which adds to the historical integrity or architectural qualities that make the historic district, listed locally or federally, significant...
.