{"nrhp_refnum":"79001631","name":"Becker-Westfall House","other_names":["Westfall House"],"category":"building","location":{"address":"E of Schoharie on NY 443","address_restricted":false,"city":"Schoharie","county":"Schoharie County","state":"NY","lat":42.67578977200003,"lon":-74.25309888099997,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1979-11-20","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Exploration/Settlement","Architecture"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A two-story brick house with a one-story brick wing at Shutters Corners on Route 443, about three miles east of Schoharie, in the Town of Wright, Schoharie County, New York. It was built about 1784, traditionally by Major Joseph Becker, and the wing was added about 1851.","why_significant":"The nomination argues the house is chiefly historically significant as one of the two earliest surviving structures in the area, built by a pioneering Palatine German family. It served as the home of the area's first storekeeper, and in the mid-nineteenth century as a tavern and post office on the Plank Road, which gave the hamlet its name, Shutters Corners. It also keeps much original fabric and shows Georgian and early Federal influences.","narrative":"Standing at a rural crossroads on Route 443 east of Schoharie, this two-story brick house with a one-story wing dates to about 1784 and is traditionally credited to Major Joseph Becker, a local hero of Revolutionary War defenses. Its side-hall plan and central chimney are unusual for the area and point to Georgian and early Federal influences from New England. The front is laid in Flemish bond, and the interior keeps its wainscot, chair rail, Federal mantels, window reveals and fanlight entrance. John Becker, Joseph's son, lived here and ran a country store at the intersection. In 1851 Jacob Shutter bought the property and, after the Schoharie and Albany Plank Road opened, turned it into a tavern. A post office followed, and the hamlet became Shutters Corners. The brick wing was probably added then. A brick smokehouse and three frame outbuildings remain on the roughly ten-acre setting.","period_of_significance":null,"architect_builder":"Joseph Becker","architectural_style":"Georgian / early Federal (vernacular)","criteria":[],"status_note":"Described as little changed and retaining its original wainscot, mantels and front entrance. Listed as a private residence, with a brick smokehouse and three frame outbuildings on the property.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:50:39.642762-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_NY/79001631.pdf"},"photo":null,"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/75321717","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Becker%E2%80%93Westfall_House","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q4878655"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/new-york/schoharie-county/becker-westfall-house-79001631/"}