{"nrhp_refnum":"76000533","name":"Fort Jones House","other_names":["Louis Heller Studio","Herzberg Residence"],"category":"building","location":{"address":"Main St.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Fort Jones","county":"Siskiyou County","state":"CA","lat":41.605125446000045,"lon":-122.84213640499996,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1976-04-22","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Commerce","Exploration/Settlement","Architecture"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A two-story wooden building on Main Street in Fort Jones, Siskiyou County, California, built around 1851 and thought to have been designed by James E. Thomas. It was extensively remodelled in 1878 by Louis Heller.","why_significant":"It was built as a stage stop and hotel on the California-Oregon stage road and served as the local post office. It later became the photo studio of Louis Heller, known for his portraits from the Modoc Indian War. Its Greek Revival character with Federal influence is also cited as a distinctive architectural quality.","narrative":"Built around 1851 on what is now Main Street in Fort Jones, California, this two-story wooden building began as a stage stop and hotel on the California-Oregon stage road. It was named for the nearby fort, about a mile and a half away, and predated the fort's barracks, so soldiers visited often. Several later became well known, including John B. Hood, George Pickett and Phil Sheridan. The building also served as the post office, with James E. Thomas as postmaster in 1858. In 1878 Louis Heller remodelled and enlarged it, adding the rusticated wood siding, and used it as a photo studio. Heller is remembered for his portraits of Modoc Indian War figures such as Captain Jack. An architect's review describes a Greek Revival structure with Federal influence, featuring bracketed cornices, quoin-like corners, shaped door and window heads and a sidelit entrance. It is now a private residence.","period_of_significance":"1800-1899","architect_builder":"Thought to be James E. Thomas; remodelled 1878 by Louis Heller","architectural_style":"Greek Revival (vernacular) with Federal style influence","criteria":[],"status_note":"Altered by the 1878 remodel, with nothing structurally changed since; now a private residence.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:55:31.776382-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_CA/76000533.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/76000533/063651fd6b-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/76000533/063651fd6b-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 3.0","author":"NoeHill","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Fort_Jones_House.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">NoeHill</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:Fort_Jones_House.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/123861975","wikipedia":null,"wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q133539704"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/california/siskiyou-county/fort-jones-house-76000533/"}