{"nrhp_refnum":"98000975","name":"Hamilton Primary School","other_names":["Hamilton Memorial School:Silas Hamilton School"],"category":"building","location":{"address":"200 ft. W of the jct. of Otteville and McClusky Rds.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Otterville","county":"Jersey County","state":"IL","lat":39.05102824700003,"lon":-90.39744372799998,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1998-08-06","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Architecture"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A two-story limestone Italianate school building in the village of Otterville, Jersey County, Illinois, built in 1873 to a design by architect Joseph Knight, with stonework by George Henry Sturdevant.","why_significant":"The nomination argues it is a good representative example of an Italianate stone institutional building under Criterion C for architecture. It is described as the only stone Italianate school in Jersey County and the only stone building in Otterville. It has remained almost unchanged for about 125 years and retains its historic integrity.","narrative":"Built in 1873 in the farming village of Otterville, Jersey County, Illinois, this two-story limestone schoolhouse follows a T-shaped plan with hipped extensions, wide overhanging eaves, decorative brackets, arched windows, a cupola and an arched entrance. Local stone from the Hiram White Quarry was used, along with salvaged stones from an 1836 school on the site that was razed in 1872. Joseph Knight was the architect and George Henry Sturdevant the stone mason. The school was funded originally by a bequest from Dr. Silas Hamilton, a physician who freed twenty-eight slaves, for a free, integrated school. A monument to Hamilton, erected by his former slave George Washington, stands on the grounds. Classes continued until 1971. Original woodwork, plaster walls and blackboards survive inside. It is described as the only stone Italianate school in the county and the only stone building in Otterville. Its listing rests on its architecture, though the building shows serious deterioration.","period_of_significance":"1873","architect_builder":"Knight, J., architect; George Henry Sturdevant, stone mason","architectural_style":"Italianate","criteria":["C"],"status_note":"Closed as a school in 1971; the form describes extreme deterioration, with roof, windows and tuckpointing urgently needed. The Recreation/Library entry under current function suggests community use.","vacant_flag":null,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:55:37.69927-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/49/8930/28893049/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_IL/98000975.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/98000975/5f4bc7b51d-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/98000975/5f4bc7b51d-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 3.0","author":"Boscophotos","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Image_The_Hamilton_Primary_School.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_The_Hamilton_Primary_School.jpeg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/28893049","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hamilton_Primary_School","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q18151314"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/illinois/jersey-county/hamilton-primary-school-98000975/"}