{"nrhp_refnum":"74001749","name":"Vicary, Capt. William, House","other_names":["Nannah Property"],"category":"building","location":{"address":"1251 4th St.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Freedom","county":"Beaver County","state":"PA","lat":40.68192220700007,"lon":-80.24990666999997,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1974-11-08","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Military","Architecture"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A massive dressed-stone house on a high bluff overlooking the Ohio River in Freedom, Beaver County, Pennsylvania, built between 1826 and 1833 for Captain William Vicary. It is a five-bay, two-and-one-half-story main block with a smaller three-bay addition.","why_significant":"The nomination argues the house is significant as the home of Naval Captain William Vicary, who gained fame in the War of 1812 by capturing four British war vessels. It also argues the house has architectural significance for its skilled stone work, uncommon for the early nineteenth century in western Pennsylvania, and for its vernacular character, which grew from local needs rather than a formal style.","narrative":"Built between 1826 and 1833 on a high bluff above the Ohio River in Freedom, Beaver County, this five-bay, two-and-one-half-story stone house was begun by Captain William Vicary after his naval career. Its walls are of massive dressed stone blocks laid in regular courses, quarried on the property and hauled to the site on horse-drawn sledges up earthen ramps. A classical front porch of about 1900 shelters the central entrance, which has a recessed oak door with a fanlight. Vicary earned his reputation in the War of 1812 by capturing four British warships, and their cargo helped the young nation's finances. He also laid out the village of St. Clair, later incorporated into Freedom. The house is valued for its skilled stonework, uncommon for its period in western Pennsylvania, and for its rugged, unadorned vernacular character, which reflects the way academic styles were adapted on the frontier.","period_of_significance":"1826-1833","architect_builder":null,"architectural_style":null,"criteria":["A","C"],"status_note":"Divided into modern apartments in 1948; the original window sashes have been replaced and a large kitchen fireplace and a stone wall have been removed.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-haiku-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.1-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 17:11:29.338369-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_PA/74001749.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/74001749/4ed54397ab-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/74001749/4ed54397ab-1600.webp","licence":"Public domain","author":"Nyttend","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Captain_William_Vicary_House.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Nyttend</a>, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Captain_William_Vicary_House.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/71995631","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Captain_William_Vicary_House","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q5036864"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/pennsylvania/beaver-county/vicary-capt-william-house-74001749/"}