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Washington County Commissioners Wednesday approved $10,000 in American Rescue Plan Act funds to help Friends of the Joseph Barker Jr. House stabilize and restore the Federal-style brick home near Newport.
The home, built in 1832, was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1979 and is one of the few surviving homes built in Washington County by Barker's father, Colonel Joseph Barker.
County commissioners will be joining other local, state and federal officials from 2 to 4 p.m. Sunday at the site of the home for a "Preservation Celebration." A press release from Wesley Clarke, vice president for development for the FJBH, said Sunday will mark a major milestone in the four-year preservation effort, with transfer of ownership to the the FJBJ recently finalized. The Friends have begun work to restore the house property. The Ohio Department of Transportation already has built an access road to the property.
As the preservation effort has been a joint undertaking at the local, state and federal levels, Sunday participants in the celebration will include U.S. Senator Rob Portman, ODOT Director Jack Marchbanks and U.S. Rep. Bill Johnson, along with representatives of the FJBJ, Washington County Historical Society, Newport Township Trustees and others.
Brief remarks will be shared around 2:15 p.m. There will be light refreshments and short visits inside the house.