{"nrhp_refnum":"05000111","name":"Townsend House","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"117 N. Canyon Park Rd.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Stockton","county":"Jo Daviess County","state":"IL","lat":42.37408562300004,"lon":-90.05106815399995,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"2005-05-17","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Architecture"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A two-story limestone farmhouse at 117 N. Canyon Park Road, near Stockton in Jo Daviess County, Illinois, built by farmer George N. Townsend between 1851 and 1856. It is an Upright and Wing house with Greek Revival detailing.","why_significant":"The house is considered locally significant under Criterion C as a particularly fine example of the Upright and Wing house type with Greek Revival detailing. It reflects how New England and New York folk housing traditions moved west and combined with the popular Greek Revival style. It also retains a high degree of integrity, including original woodwork, doors and an attic beehive opening.","narrative":"Built of coursed ashlar limestone quarried on its own farm, this house near Stockton in Jo Daviess County, Illinois, was begun in 1851 and finished in 1856 by George N. Townsend. Townsend, a New Yorker who came west in 1826, started construction after returning from the California gold rush with $1,700. The building follows the Upright and Wing form, with a two-story gable-front section beside a lower wing, and carries Greek Revival features such as a low-pitched roof, cornice returns, a pilastered entry with sidelights and transom, and semi-elliptical gable fanlights. Inside, walnut stair parts, white pine trim, original doors and an early heating stove survive. The attic keeps a framed opening for a honeybee hive. Later changes were modest: a central chimney, an enclosed rear porch, and a removed wall between two small bedrooms. It is listed for its architecture and its illustration of how eastern building traditions reached northern Illinois.","period_of_significance":"1856","architect_builder":"Townsend, George N., Builder","architectural_style":"Greek Revival; Other: Upright and Wing","criteria":["C"],"status_note":"Still in use as a single dwelling; exterior components are described as in very good condition and the house has a relatively high degree of integrity.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:55:37.528652-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/78/8930/28893078/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_IL/05000111.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/05000111/e7a21f9268-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/05000111/e7a21f9268-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 3.0","author":"IvoShandor","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Stockton_IL_Townsend_House1.JPG\" rel=\"noopener\">IvoShandor</a>, <a href=\"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0\" rel=\"license noopener\">CC BY-SA 3.0</a>, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Stockton_IL_Townsend_House1.JPG"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/28893078","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Townsend_Home","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q7830179"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/illinois/jo-daviess-county/townsend-house-05000111/"}