Langstroth Cottage
About this property
Langstroth Cottage is a historic building on the Western College campus of Miami University in Oxford, Ohio. It was designated a National Historic Landmark on June 22, 1976. The cottage, built in 1856, is now the home for the Oxford office of the Butler County Regional Transit Authority. It was purchased for Beekeeper L. L. Langstroth in 1859, and he lived there for the next 28 years, conducting research and breeding honey bees. Langstroth Cottage was built in the mid-1850s by Reverend Edward Root. It was purchased for Lorenzo Langstroth by a brother-in-law in 1859, where he then raised his family and continued his love for bees. The cottage is currently the oldest building of the Western College. After Langstroth left the house, the cottage was purchased by Susan Peabody, Helen's niece, who donated it to the Western College. Located on Western Campus, the cottage is adjacent to Patterson Avenue and State Route 27, the cottage is a prime marker to Miami University. The architecture within presents Greek Revival influence dating back to 1856. The cottage has undergone newer changes in order to keep updated and established. New oak floors and modern plumbing and heating have been installed. The wooden floors of the basement have been replaced by concrete, and the fireplace is closed; fortunately, the outer walls of the house have gone unaffected. The façade is unique with brick pilasters that support the pediment, creating a dug in panel frame. Each corner of the house is emphasized by brick while the side walls have the same paneled effect as the front, and the side panels are divided through the center through a third pilaster. This unique architectural feature is both aesthetic and economical and is rare sight in the town of Oxford. Over the door is a semi-elliptical fanlight. Rooms inside the cottage are fairly plain, but still exude a comfortable atmosphere. Originally, there were four fireplaces in the house but all remain closed today. Around the house, Langstroth planted apple and American Linden trees to help acquire his bees. Langstroth also planted a formal garden, almost an acre long to help bring in bees. The cottage has been used for many functions, ranging from an academic building to a faculty residence. Langstroth Cottage was used for many programs of Miami University, including the Miami University International Office and the Miami University Luxembourg Program Office. Currently, the cottage is temporarily used for office and operations space for the Butler County Regional Transit Authority's Miami University public transit operation. Lorenzo Langstroth grew up in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and was the second oldest of eight children. He also attended Yale College, where he found religion, and eventually entered the Yale Divinity School to study for the ministry, where he eventually became Oxford's Presbyterian minister. After finding his love of bees, he married Anne Tucker and they started a family. Unfortunately, Langstroth developed a nervous disorder, which eventually led him to sell his bees. Upon returning to Massachusetts to work on his health, Langstroth started writing his manual Langstroth on the Honeybee. Langstroth was said to have been seasonally depressed and would go months without speaking. His depression only worsened after his wife died which then he would only show love and emotion towards his honeybees. In the last years of his life, he lived with his daughter and her family in Dayton, Ohio. While attending church, Langstroth started preaching and as he said "I wish to talk to you this morning about the love of God," he collapsed and died; Langstroth is buried in the Woodlawn Cemetery in Dayton, Ohio with his gravestone marking "The Father of American Beekeeping".
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Property data from the National Register of Historic Places, National Park Service (public domain).
Description adapted from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
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Questions about this property
When was Langstroth Cottage listed on the National Register?
Langstroth Cottage was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on June 21, 1976.
What type of historic resource is Langstroth Cottage?
Langstroth Cottage is classified as a building in the National Register of Historic Places.
Is Langstroth Cottage a National Historic Landmark?
Yes. Langstroth Cottage has been designated a National Historic Landmark (NHL), the highest level of federal recognition for historic properties in the United States.
What is the period of significance for Langstroth Cottage?
The period of significance for Langstroth Cottage is recorded as the industrial era.
Can I research the history near Langstroth Cottage?
Yes. Aubrey Research reports search National Register listings, battlefield records, land patents, and other primary historical sources within any radius of a US address. A report for an address near Langstroth Cottage will include this listing and all other historical records in the area.
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