{"nrhp_refnum":"84000777","name":"Shaw House","other_names":["The Shaw House Inn"],"category":"building","location":{"address":"703 Main St.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Ferndale","county":"Humboldt County","state":"CA","lat":40.57897256500007,"lon":-124.26207252499995,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1984-09-13","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Exploration/Settlement","Architecture"],"significance_levels":["state"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A one-and-a-half story wooden Victorian Gothic Revival farmhouse at 703 Main Street in Ferndale, Humboldt County, California, built in stages from the mid-1850s to 1866, with a one-story apartment added in the 1890s.","why_significant":"The nomination presents it as an outstanding example of Victorian Gothic Revival architecture, described in a 1973 architecture guide as a \"perfect Victorian Gothic Revival cottage.\" It is the oldest remaining structure in Ferndale and the home of the community's founder, Seth Louis Shaw. It also has a high degree of historic integrity and was identified as a key structure in Ferndale's 1975 State Historical Landmark designation.","narrative":"Set back from Main Street behind an old board-and-wire fence, this Ferndale farmhouse is a wooden Victorian Gothic Revival home built in stages from the mid-1850s until 1866. Steep gables, cutout bargeboard, tall finials and lattice-work balustrades give it a picturesque character, and its front facade is symmetrical, with a central gabled pavilion flanked by recessed porches. A one-story apartment was added in the 1890s and a three-car garage in 1967, but alterations have been minor. Seth Louis Shaw, the founder of Ferndale, began the house and named the community after it. Even before completion it served as post office, seat of justice and public house, and Shaw as Justice of the Peace often married couples who stayed in the upstairs bedroom. It is the oldest remaining structure in the town and was cited in a 1973 architecture guide as a \"perfect Victorian Gothic Revival cottage.\" It now operates as a bed and breakfast inn.","period_of_significance":"c. 1854-1866","architect_builder":"Unknown, probably Stephen & Seth Shaw","architectural_style":"Victorian Gothic Revival","criteria":[],"status_note":"Occupied and in commercial use as a bed and breakfast inn, with some original furnishings still in place and careful recent restorations.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:54:26.934885-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_CA/84000777.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/84000777/d359a34aa4-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/84000777/d359a34aa4-1600.webp","licence":"Public domain","author":"Ellin Beltz","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Shaw_House_Ferndale_CA_frontview.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Ellin Beltz</a>, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Shaw_House_Ferndale_CA_frontview.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/123858794","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shaw_House_(Ferndale,_California)","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q7491170"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/california/humboldt-county/shaw-house-84000777/"}