George Barrett Cement House – Poor Man’s Home, Rich Man’s Palace

George Barrett Cement House – Poor Man’s Home, Rich Man’s Palace is an Ohio historical marker in Greene County.

Greene County · 4 E. Main Street, Spring Valley, OH, 45370

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Side A: After his home was destroyed by fire, George Barrett decided to build a home that would survive another disaster. An article Barrett read by O.S. Fowler in New York described a new building material that used gravel, sand, and lime. Cement was a less expensive and more time efficient construction material than brick. Unable to get help from a mason, Barrett gathered the material and built the house himself. Completed in 1853, the house was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1986. Side B: Same

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under a mile from where William Gabby lived in the 1760s

what this marker records spans 1777 to 1789, overlapping William Gabby's years here

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Marker data: Ohio Historical Markers program, Ohio History Connection (Remarkable Ohio)

More markers nearby

On the National Register nearby

Barrett, George, Concrete House50 ft
Main Street Historic District240 ft

Places within about 300 feet of this marker that are listed on the National Register of Historic Places. A nearby listing is not always the marker's own subject.