{"nrhp_refnum":"86003180","name":"Blackman, George, House","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"904 S. Main St.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Hillsboro","county":"Montgomery County","state":"IL","lat":39.153058731000044,"lon":-89.49370102499995,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1986-11-06","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Architecture"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A 1 1/2 story frame house at 904 South Main Street in Hillsboro, Montgomery County, Illinois, built in 1842-43 by cabinetmaker and wagon maker George Blackman, with a stone foundation and a full-width front porch.","why_significant":"The nomination argues the house is significant for its architecture, which is unique in the Hillsboro area. Its recessed porch and floor plan show southern influence, resembling the \"Creole\" houses of old St. Louis, in contrast to the two-story New England-style houses nearby. Combined with a Yankee-style cellar, it blends northern and southern building traditions. It is also the only remaining reminder of the Blackman family's craft businesses.","narrative":"Built in 1842-43 on South Main Street in Hillsboro, Illinois, the George Blackman House is a 1 1/2 story frame dwelling with a stone foundation, side gable roof and a full-width front porch carried on four slender columns. George Blackman, a Massachusetts-born cabinetmaker who came to Illinois in 1839 with his father James, did most of the construction himself, using a large quantity of black walnut for woodwork and flooring. His diary records a building cost of $1,226.92. Beside the house he ran a wagon and carriage shop, which has since been demolished along with the family's other shop buildings. The house is considered architecturally unusual for the area. Most surviving mid-19th century homes in Hillsboro are two-story square or rectangular buildings, while this one shows southern influence in its porch and central-hall plan, resembling early houses of St. Louis. Its stone-walled cellar reflects New England habits. Two rooms were added at the rear more than a century ago.","period_of_significance":"1800-1899 (specific dates 1842-1843)","architect_builder":"George Blackman","architectural_style":"Southern/\"Creole\" influenced style with Greek Revival touches","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 02:55:35.270739-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/55/8937/28893755/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_IL/86003180.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/86003180/a87d20c793-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/86003180/a87d20c793-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 3.0","author":"Boscophotos","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Image_Blackman-Evans_House.jpeg\" rel=\"noopener\">Boscophotos</a>, <a href=\"https://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:Image_Blackman-Evans_House.jpeg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/28893755","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Blackman_House","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q17300088"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/illinois/montgomery-county/blackman-george-house-86003180/"}