{"nrhp_refnum":"86001510","name":"Benjamin, James, Homestead","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"1182 Flanders Rd.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Flanders","county":"Suffolk County","state":"NY","lat":40.90328118800005,"lon":-72.61725836299996,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1986-08-13","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Exploration/Settlement","Architecture"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A late eighteenth century two-story, five-bay, center-entrance wood frame house with a late nineteenth century barn, on a one-acre bayside parcel at 1182 Flanders Road in Flanders, Suffolk County, New York. The house dates to circa 1785; the builder is unknown.","why_significant":"The nomination argues it is a rare surviving late eighteenth century residence that recalls Flanders's settlement and agrarian growth. It also reflects eastern Long Island's conservative settlement-era building tradition. It is described as the oldest extant residence in Flanders and a well-known local landmark.","narrative":"Built around 1785, this two-story, five-bay house with a center entrance sits on a one-acre parcel beside Reeves Bay in Flanders, on eastern Long Island. A small late nineteenth century barn stands behind it. James Benjamin, born in Southold in 1753, bought the land in 1782, and his family owned the homestead until 1864. The house is the oldest surviving residence in Flanders. It shows features typical of early Long Island building: timber frame construction, wide wood shingles, nine-over-six windows, a broad gable roof with a center brick chimney, and very little decoration. Additions were made around 1900, but the main block keeps its floor plan, wood floors, some paneling and exposed framing. Flanders remained sparsely settled and mostly agricultural through the early nineteenth century, with farming and fishing as economic mainstays. The house and barn recall that agrarian past and are recognized locally as a landmark of the community's early development.","period_of_significance":"circa 1785 (checked periods: 1700-1799 and 1800-1899)","architect_builder":null,"architectural_style":"Vernacular Long Island settlement-era building tradition (two-story, five-bay, center entrance, gable roof, center chimney)","criteria":[],"status_note":"Listed as occupied and in use as a private residence; condition marked good and altered, on its original site.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:50:45.598253-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_NY/86001510.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/86001510/7973f5e410-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/86001510/7973f5e410-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 4.0","author":"DanTD","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:James_Benjamin_Homestead;_Flanders,_New_York-2.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">DanTD</a>, <a href=\"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0\" rel=\"license noopener\">CC BY-SA 4.0</a>, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:James_Benjamin_Homestead;_Flanders,_New_York-2.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/75322035","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Benjamin_Homestead","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q6129650"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/new-york/suffolk-county/benjamin-james-homestead-86001510/"}