{"nrhp_refnum":"85002841","name":"Hitt, Samuel M., House","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"7782 IL 64 W","address_restricted":false,"city":"Mount Morris","county":"Ogle County","state":"IL","lat":42.055827951000026,"lon":-89.48675024899995,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1985-11-14","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Architecture"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A two-story limestone Italianate farmhouse at 7782 Ill. Rt. 64 West, Mount Morris, Ogle County, Illinois, built in 1858 by Samuel M. Hitt.","why_significant":"The nomination presents it as a well-preserved, rare example of an antebellum symmetrical cube-style Italianate farmhouse, built vernacularly of limestone quarried on the property. It is also tied to Samuel M. Hitt, an early Ogle County settler, founder of Mount Morris and state legislator, who was a friend of Abraham Lincoln. The house has been owned by one family since 1874.","narrative":"Built in 1858 by Samuel M. Hitt, this two-story limestone farmhouse near Mount Morris, Illinois, is an antebellum Italianate dwelling with a cubic mass, a low hipped roof, bracketed eaves and a square cupola. A wraparound one-story porch and tall main-floor windows that double as French doors reinforce its formal symmetry. The stone, with walls eighteen inches thick, was quarried about a mile south of the site, giving the house a vernacular character. Inside are seventeen rooms. Later changes include a wooden bay window that replaced the original east entrance, a rear frame addition that once held a smokeroom, and a relocated main staircase. Hitt came from Maryland in 1836, became one of Ogle County's first settlers and a founder of Mount Morris, and served in the state legislature. The nomination cites documentation of his friendship with Abraham Lincoln and family accounts of Lincoln's stays. One family has owned the house since 1874.","period_of_significance":"1800-1899","architect_builder":"Samuel M. Hitt","architectural_style":"Italianate","criteria":[],"status_note":"Listed as occupied private residence in excellent condition; altered by a bay window replacing the original entrance, a rear frame addition and a relocated staircase.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:55:35.784723-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/93/8937/28893793/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_IL/85002841.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/85002841/0322536f42-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/85002841/0322536f42-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY 2.5","author":"Andy McMurray","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Ogle_County_Samuel_M_Hitt_House_Mt_Morris_Il2.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Andy McMurray</a>, <a href=\"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.5\" rel=\"license noopener\">CC BY 2.5</a>, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Ogle_County_Samuel_M_Hitt_House_Mt_Morris_Il2.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/28893793","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Samuel_M._Hitt_House","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q7412068"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/illinois/ogle-county/hitt-samuel-m-house-85002841/"}