{"nrhp_refnum":"85001164","name":"Crenshaw House","other_names":["Hickory Hill Slave House"],"category":"building","location":{"address":"Off Rt. 1","address_restricted":false,"city":"Equality","county":"Gallatin County","state":"IL","lat":37.73040847500005,"lon":-88.29256810899994,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1985-05-29","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Industry","Architecture"],"significance_levels":["state"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A 2-1/2 story wood-frame Greek Revival mansion known as Hickory Hill, on a two-acre hilltop site about 1.5 miles southeast of Equality, Gallatin County, Illinois. It was built between 1834 and 1842 for salt producer John Hart Crenshaw.","why_significant":"The nomination argues the house is one of the few surviving examples of domestic temple-form Greek Revival architecture in southern Illinois, with an unusual monitored gable roof and hewn timber columns. It also reflects the early Illinois salt industry, in which Crenshaw prospered and in which slaves and indentured servants worked. The surrounding grounds may hold archaeological remains of landscaping, outbuildings and domestic activity.","narrative":"Hickory Hill, also called the Crenshaw House, is a large Greek Revival mansion on a hilltop overlooking the Saline river bottom near Equality, Illinois. John Hart Crenshaw, known as the \"Salt King of Southern Illinois,\" hired architect and builder William Gavin of Galliopolis, Ohio, and construction ran from 1834 to 1842. The wood-frame house has masonry nogging, a five-bay temple-like facade, round porch pillars and an unusual segmented roof monitor. Upper-story columns were each hewn from a single tree trunk. The house is listed for its architecture, as a rare local example of this temple form, and for its link to the salt industry that enriched Crenshaw and relied on as many as 1,000 indentured servants and slaves. Crenshaw's involvement in slavery is described as a focal point for questions about slavery in Illinois. Possible archaeological remains around the house, including a retaining wall and garden depression, add to its importance.","period_of_significance":"1834-1842","architect_builder":"William Gavin, Galliopolis, Ohio","architectural_style":"Vernacular interpretation of the temple form of the Greek Revival style","criteria":["A","C","D"],"status_note":"Marked as occupied; present uses include museum, commercial and private residence. The rear rooms and drive-in were remodeled as an apartment, and a one-story ell was added.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:55:34.577223-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/95/8928/28892895/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_IL/85001164.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/85001164/d813887ecc-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/85001164/d813887ecc-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 3.0","author":"HaarFager at en.wikipedia","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:The_Old_Slave_House.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">HaarFager at en.wikipedia</a>, <a href=\"http://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:The_Old_Slave_House.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/28892895","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crenshaw_House_(Gallatin_County,_Illinois)","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q5184171"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/illinois/gallatin-county/crenshaw-house-85001164/"}