{"nrhp_refnum":"79002987","name":"Ruckman, John, House","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"6 mi. N of Karnes City off TX 80","address_restricted":false,"city":"Karnes City","county":"Karnes County","state":"TX","lat":28.947502076000035,"lon":-97.82107716799999,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1979-06-19","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Architecture"],"significance_levels":["state"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A 2 1/2 story wood-frame Greek Revival house built in 1878 for John Ruckman at Helena, about six miles north of Karnes City, Karnes County, Texas. It has an ell-shaped main block connected to a single-story kitchen wing.","why_significant":"The nomination presents it as an outstanding example of 19th century Texas Greek Revival architecture, with a central-hall plan, symmetrical front facade, pedimented porticoes, columns, transom and sidelights, and heavy molding. It is also the only home surviving from Helena's period as county seat of Karnes County. John Ruckman, a postmaster, banker, merchant and planter, built it, and it served as a center of social life in the town.","narrative":"Built in 1878 at Helena, in Karnes County, Texas, the John Ruckman house is a 2 1/2 story wood-frame dwelling clad in Florida cypress clapboard. Its ell-shaped main block joins a single-story kitchen wing, and two-story porticoes with columns and balustrades mark the north and east sides. Inside, a central hall with matching rooms on each side follows a typical Greek Revival plan, with public rooms downstairs and bedrooms above. Ruckman came to Karnes County in 1857, served the Confederacy as a lieutenant, and later acted as first postmaster, banker, merchant and planter in Helena. His home became the town's social center. Helena lost its county seat to Karnes City in 1893 after the railway bypassed it, and this house is the only one surviving from that frontier era. The Ruckman children deeded it to the Old Helena Foundation in 1967, and the house is now deteriorated, with restoration planned.","period_of_significance":"1800-1899","architect_builder":"Unknown","architectural_style":"Greek Revival (provincial interpretation)","criteria":[],"status_note":"Marked unoccupied and vacant. The form describes serious deterioration of porches, roof, windows and framing, with termite damage. The owner, a historical society, plans restoration and reconstruction of the missing bell tower.","vacant_flag":true,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:54:19.591491-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/32/9727/40972732/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_TX/79002987.pdf"},"photo":null,"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/40972732","wikipedia":null,"wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q110002256"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/texas/karnes-county/ruckman-john-house-79002987/"}