{"nrhp_refnum":"76001229","name":"Butler, Walter, Homestead","other_names":["Butlersbury"],"category":"building","location":{"address":"NE of Fonda on Old Trail Rd.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Fonda","county":"Montgomery County","state":"NY","lat":42.96205462200004,"lon":-74.35417281099996,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1976-06-23","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Military","Exploration/Settlement"],"significance_levels":["state"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A one-and-a-half-story 18th century farmhouse known as Butlersbury, on an eminence overlooking the Mohawk Valley northeast of Fonda, Montgomery County, New York, built in 1742 by Lt. Walter Butler.","why_significant":"The house retains many original features and recalls the Butler family, early settlers who played a role in the turbulent years before and during the Revolution. John Butler ran his landholdings and entertained Sir William Johnson's circle here before leaving as a Loyalist in 1775. The undisturbed site may also have considerable archeological value.","narrative":"Butlersbury is an 18th century farmhouse set on high ground above the Mohawk Valley near Fonda, New York. Lt. Walter Butler, an officer in the Independent Companies on the colonial frontier, received a share of a Crown land grant confirmed in 1735 and built the house in 1742. It measures about forty by thirty feet, with hewn timber construction, a limestone block foundation and wide hand-planed pine joists. His son John Butler later ran the estate from here, with tenants, cleared farmland, barns and slaves, and hosted figures such as Sir William Johnson. In 1775 John Butler and his eldest son Walter left for Canada as Loyalists, and the family's property was confiscated and sold between 1784 and 1790. Militia detachments were stationed at the house during the Revolution. The building was restored from a dilapidated state, and the site has seen little disturbance beyond farming, giving it possible archeological value.","period_of_significance":"1742","architect_builder":"Walter Butler","architectural_style":null,"criteria":[],"status_note":"Listed as occupied private residence in good condition; the attached early 20th century house is empty and deteriorating, and the 18th century house was restored by the present owner.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:50:39.976798-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_NY/76001229.pdf"},"photo":null,"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/75318992","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Walter_Butler_Homestead","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q7964446"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/new-york/montgomery-county/butler-walter-homestead-76001229/"}