{"nrhp_refnum":"78001998","name":"Cockerill House","other_names":["Judge Stephenson House"],"category":"building","location":{"address":"115 E. Main St.","address_restricted":false,"city":"West Union","county":"Adams County","state":"OH","lat":38.794555410000044,"lon":-83.54499009599994,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1978-11-21","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Military","Law","Politics/Government","Communications"],"significance_levels":["state"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A two-story brick residence at 115 East Main Street in West Union, Adams County, Ohio, built in 1850 by Joseph R. Cockerill. It began as an L-shaped Federal style house and later received frame additions.","why_significant":"The house was built by Joseph Randolph Cockerill, an Ohio legislator and Civil War colonel. His son John A. Cockerill, later a nationally known newspaper editor called the \"Father of the New Journalism,\" lived there from 1850 to 1868. It was later occupied by Judge Will P. Stephenson, who served on the Ohio Supreme Court.","narrative":"Built in 1850 at 115 East Main Street in West Union, this two-story brick house began as an L-shaped Federal style home with common bond brick, a stone foundation and a five-bay front. Later changes include a rear frame addition from the early 1900s, a one-story frame addition and small window changes in 1965, and a new front porch in 1973. Inside, the original woodwork, floors and doors survive. Joseph Randolph Cockerill, who built the house, served in the Ohio House of Representatives and as colonel of the 70th Ohio Volunteer Infantry. His son John A. Cockerill grew up here and went on to edit major newspapers, including the St. Louis Post-Dispatch and the New York World, and is known as the \"Father of the New Journalism.\" Judge Will P. Stephenson, later appointed to the Ohio Supreme Court, also lived in the house. These associations are the basis for its listing.","period_of_significance":"1850","architect_builder":"Joseph R. Cockerill","architectural_style":"Federal","criteria":[],"status_note":"Listed as an occupied private residence; the original brick section has had little alteration, though porch, window and rear additions were made in 1965, 1973 and the early 1900s.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:53:12.755839-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_OH/78001998.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/78001998/51dbfd724b-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/78001998/51dbfd724b-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 3.0","author":"Aesopposea","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:AdamsCountyOHCockerillHouse.JPG\" rel=\"noopener\">Aesopposea</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:AdamsCountyOHCockerillHouse.JPG"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/71986580","wikipedia":null,"wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q137593213"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/ohio/adams-county/cockerill-house-78001998/"}