{"nrhp_refnum":"98001342","name":"Bowen, Benjamin, House","other_names":["\"What Cheer Hall\""],"category":"building","location":{"address":"7482 Main St.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Newport","county":"Herkimer County","state":"NY","lat":43.187733053000045,"lon":-75.05212487699998,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1998-11-05","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Exploration/Settlement","Architecture"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A two-story Federal style limestone residence at 7482 Main Street in the village of Newport, Herkimer County, New York, built in 1812 for Benjamin Bowen. The 1.3-acre parcel also holds a stone smokehouse and a modern garage.","why_significant":"The house is significant under Criteria A and C as a distinguished, largely intact example of Federal period stone architecture in Herkimer County and the Mohawk region. It is tied to Benjamin Bowen, founder and first permanent settler of Newport and an early industrialist. Its design, materials and craftsmanship reflect New England influence brought to the Mohawk Valley.","narrative":"Built in 1812, this two-story limestone house on Main Street in Newport, Herkimer County, was the home of Benjamin Bowen, the village's founder and first permanent settler. Bowen came with a group of Rhode Islanders drawn by the water power of West Canada Creek, and built a sawmill, grist mill, distillery, oil mill and cotton spinning factory. He also sold lots to new settlers and served in the state legislature and as a county judge. The symmetrical, five-bay house has light gray ashlar walls cut from local limestone, a hipped roof, stone quoins, and a doorway with a semicircular transom. Inside, a curved hanging staircase, carved mantels and molded trim survive. Bowen's finances collapsed after the War of 1812, and he left the county about 1815. The house was sold to settle his debts and later passed through several owners. A stone smokehouse of the same period also remains. The property is valued as a well-preserved regional example of Federal architecture shaped by New England builders.","period_of_significance":"1812-1815","architect_builder":null,"architectural_style":"Early Republic/Federal","criteria":["A","C"],"status_note":"Used as a single dwelling, both historically and currently; retains a high level of integrity despite some alterations.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:51:50.860332-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_NY/98001342.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/98001342/d5d2e0e764-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/98001342/d5d2e0e764-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 2.0","author":"Doug Kerr from Upstate New York","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Benjamin_Bowen_House_Jul_10.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Doug Kerr from Upstate New York</a>, <a href=\"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0\" rel=\"license noopener\">CC BY-SA 2.0</a>, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Benjamin_Bowen_House_Jul_10.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/75318112","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Benjamin_Bowen_House","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q4888315"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/new-york/herkimer-county/bowen-benjamin-house-98001342/"}