Gushaw-Mudgett House
Also known as: Mudgett House
Why it's listed
This two-story redwood house at 820 Ninth Street in Fortuna was built around 1884, when a prosperous lumber industry and the arrival of the railroad in the Eel River Valley prompted many fine Victorian homes. It is Italianate in style, with a low hipped roofline, a wide bracketed frieze, and stacked bays decorated with colonnettes, panels and bracketed hoods. Eastlake details appear in the turned porch posts, fan brackets and balustrades. The only noted alterations are an enclosed side porch and replaced kitchen windows. The land came from a large holding bought in 1870 by George Francis Gushaw, a pioneer sometimes called a father of Fortuna. After his death in 1894 the house passed to his daughter Eda and her husband Decatur Mudgett, who raised eight children there. It stayed in the family until 1973. It was listed as a locally significant example of Italianate and Eastlake architecture.
Significance in brief: The nomination presents it as a locally significant example of Italianate architecture with Eastlake detail, typical of 1880s houses in the Humboldt Bay region. It has survived almost a century without intrusive alteration. It is also tied to the Gushaw and Mudgett families, early figures in the community that became Fortuna.
Machine-generated summary. This summary was generated by a language model from the official nomination document and has not been reviewed line by line by an editor. It may contain errors. Check the source document before relying on any detail. Source: nomination document (PDF) · National Archives catalog entry. NRHP reference 82002184, listed January 11, 1982. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | 820 9th St., Fortuna |
|---|---|
| County | Humboldt County |
| Listed | January 11, 1982 |
| Reference number | 82002184 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1800-1899 |
| Architect / builder | Unknown |
| Architectural style | Italianate with Eastlake detail |
| Areas of significance | Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Occupied private residence in good condition, undergoing repair and painting at the time of the nomination. |
| Acreage | 0.9 |
| Coordinates | 40.59944, -124.15763 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
National Register listing is honorary for a privately owned home: it does not by itself restrict what an owner may do with their own money, and it does not require public access. Restrictions come from local landmark or historic-district ordinances, which are separate (how they differ).
Owner-occupied houses are not eligible for the 20% federal rehabilitation tax credit, which applies to income-producing buildings, but many states offer credits for homeowners. Listing also opens the door to preservation easements and to buying a plaque. Start with what listing means for homeowners, renovating a listed house and selling one.
General information, not legal or tax advice. Rules change; confirm with your State Historic Preservation Office or a qualified adviser.
Sources and further reading
- National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places database (snapshot May 2026), reference 82002184.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikidata Q133267437
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.