Smith Tannery, built in 1821 in Greenfield by Revolutionary War veteran William Smith and his son Samuel, is the oldest original structure remaining in Greenfield. Also serving as the Smith family residence, it became a noted station on the Underground Railroad. It was the birthplace of Dr. Samuel M. Smith, Surgeon General of Ohio during the Civil War, and Dr. William R. Smith, who personally notified Abraham Lincoln of his nomination to the presidency in 1864. The Smiths were active members of the Abolition Society of Paint Valley, established in 1833 in Greenfield and reorganized in 1836 as the Greenfield Anti-Slavery Society. In 1844, the society assisted the efforts of Frederick Douglass, and it provided an important junction on the Underground Railroad, helping many fugitive slaves gain freedom, including, it is said, Eliza Jane Harris of Uncle Tom's Cabin fame. The tannery was named to the National Register of Historic Places in 1978.