{"nrhp_refnum":"80001400","name":"Grierson, Gen. Benjamin Henry, House","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"852 E. State St.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Jacksonville","county":"Morgan County","state":"IL","lat":39.73422653000006,"lon":-90.21284793899997,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1980-11-20","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Military"],"significance_levels":["national"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A two-story brick Italianate house with a finished attic at 852 East State Street, Jacksonville, Morgan County, Illinois, built about 1850. It was the family home of Civil War cavalry officer Benjamin Henry Grierson.","why_significant":"The nomination argues the house is significant for its association with General Benjamin Henry Grierson, who led the 1863 cavalry raid through Mississippi that helped Grant's Vicksburg campaign. It was his home from the 1850s into the 1890s and is described as the only tangible reminder of his service, since his later residence burned. Its alterations are said to affect architectural significance but not its historic associations.","narrative":"Built about 1850, this two-story brick house at 852 East State Street in Jacksonville, Illinois, is an Italianate dwelling with a simple cross plan, painted white brick walls 18 inches thick and a finished attic. Inside are a curved entry stairway, a two-story bay window in the west parlor and a marble fireplace. The attic once served as a music room, ballroom and theater space. Wings were added during the Grierson years, and later changes include conversion of the interior into apartments. The house is listed for its link to Benjamin Henry Grierson, who moved here with his family in 1851. A music teacher and merchant before the Civil War, he became a Union cavalry colonel and led a 1863 raid south through Mississippi to Baton Rouge, which drew Confederate forces away from Vicksburg. He later commanded Western military districts and returned to Jacksonville after retiring in 1890. His later home was destroyed by fire, leaving this house as the main surviving reminder of him.","period_of_significance":null,"architect_builder":null,"architectural_style":"Italianate","criteria":[],"status_note":"Occupied private residence, with interiors slightly altered to serve as apartment units; the exterior is in excellent condition per the form.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:55:35.719349-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/79/8937/28893779/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_IL/80001400.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/80001400/fa5fe2d020-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/80001400/fa5fe2d020-1600.webp","licence":"Public domain","author":"Nyttend","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Benjamin_Henry_Grierson_House.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Nyttend</a>, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Benjamin_Henry_Grierson_House.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/28893779","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Benjamin_Henry_Grierson_House","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q19871157"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/illinois/morgan-county/grierson-gen-benjamin-henry-house-80001400/"}