{"nrhp_refnum":"73001385","name":"Hubbard, Col. William, House","other_names":["Great Emporium","Mother Hubbard's Cupboard"],"category":"building","location":{"address":"Corner of Lake Ave. and Walnut Blvd.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Ashtabula","county":"Ashtabula County","state":"OH","lat":41.89970638900007,"lon":-80.80463193899999,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1973-03-20","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Social History"],"significance_levels":["state"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A two-story, five-bay brick Greek Revival house built in 1834 by Col. William Hubbard near the Lake Erie shore, at the northwest corner of Lake Avenue and Walnut Boulevard in Walnut Beach Park, Ashtabula, Ohio.","why_significant":"The nomination argues the house was a major terminus of an eastern Ohio line of the Underground Railroad. Escaping slaves were sheltered there before being carried by boat across Lake Erie to Canada. Hubbard was an active member of the local anti-slavery society, and the house is tied to that movement in the Western Reserve.","narrative":"Built in 1834 by Col. William Hubbard, this two-story, five-bay brick house in Ashtabula, Ohio, was originally a simple country Greek Revival residence near the Lake Erie shore. Hubbard, a Connecticut native and War of 1812 veteran, moved from New York and joined his family's lumber and warehouse business. He also took part in local politics and the anti-slavery society. The house is remembered as a terminus of an Underground Railroad line in the Western Reserve, where escapees arriving from the Ohio River were sheltered before ship captains carried them across the lake to Canada. Stories of secret rooms and a tunnel to the shore are told, but the nomination gives them little credence. Over time the house lost its two ells, gained a porch, and had its interior and windows altered. It later served as a private club and city recreation offices. Its park setting and lake view suggested future public use as an interpretation center.","period_of_significance":"19th Century (specific date 1834)","architect_builder":"Col. William Hubbard (owner and builder)","architectural_style":"Country Greek Revival","criteria":[],"status_note":"Condition described as fair to good; the interior and exterior have been altered. The city used it for Recreation Department offices until recent months, and it was recently vandalized and improperly maintained, with demolition or transfer to a private group under consideration.","vacant_flag":null,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:53:09.824717-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_OH/73001385.pdf"},"photo":null,"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/71986704","wikipedia":null,"wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q137594277"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/ohio/ashtabula-county/hubbard-col-william-house-73001385/"}