{"nrhp_refnum":"01001308","name":"Ward, Thornton, Estate","other_names":["John Harrison Ward Memorial Estate"],"category":"building","location":{"address":"1387 US 40","address_restricted":false,"city":"Toledo","county":"Cumberland County","state":"IL","lat":39.22728637050005,"lon":-88.21447743449568,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"2001-12-04","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Architecture"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A brick Italianate farmhouse estate on a 10.5-acre tract along U.S. Route 40 near Greenup in Cumberland County, Illinois, built around 1875 on land first purchased by James Martin Ward around 1840.","why_significant":"The nomination argues the house is locally significant under Criterion C as a brick Italianate house with a centered gable, a type uncommon in the area. It is also the only known local property of its type and vintage located directly on Route 40 with a surviving piece of the original Old National Road. The house retains good historic integrity.","narrative":"Built around 1875, this two-and-a-half-story brick farmhouse sits on a 10.5-acre tract along U.S. Route 40 in Cumberland County, Illinois. It stands on land first purchased by James Martin Ward around 1840, and the family lived in a log house nearby before the brick house was built. The Italianate house has a hip roof with a small central gable and a rooftop widow's walk. Its walls are solid brick made on site, and a walnut staircase rises through a central hall. The farmstead also includes a barn, corn crib, garage and a surviving 150-foot segment of the original National Road paving. The property was recognized for its architecture. Brick houses are uncommon in the area, and this is the only known local property of its type and age that sits directly on Route 40 with a remnant of the Old National Road. Its setting, design and workmanship remain largely intact.","period_of_significance":"c.1875","architect_builder":null,"architectural_style":"Italianate","criteria":["C"],"status_note":"The house is structurally sound, but the front wall and interior floors are failing in places. The front porch was dismantled in 2000 for repair work, and some shutters are missing.","vacant_flag":null,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:55:37.793176-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/94/8926/28892694/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_IL/01001308.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/01001308/4ab7a28bea-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/01001308/4ab7a28bea-1600.webp","licence":"Public domain","author":"Gerald Roll","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Thornton_Ward_Estate.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Gerald Roll</a>, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Thornton_Ward_Estate.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/28892694","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thornton_Ward_Estate","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q7796566"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/illinois/cumberland-county/ward-thornton-estate-01001308/"}