Whitmore, Daniel, House
Why it's listed
Built in 1870 one block from downtown Ceres, this two-story redwood house was the first home in the town. Daniel Whitmore, a pioneer who came west from Michigan in 1854 and reached the area in 1867, built it and moved in with his family in January 1871. The house has an L-shaped plan, a medium-pitch gable roof, a slant bay window, decorative curved brackets and triangular pedimented windows, blending Victorian and Italianate features. A kitchen and rear porch were added around the 1920s, and a garage followed in 1942. Whitmore laid out Ceres as a temperance town, owned thousands of acres, ran a ferry on the Tuolumne River, built warehouses and a grist mill, and served as postmaster for 19 years. His home housed the first post office and hosted civic, social and religious groups during the town's first decade. It is the only surviving structure of its era in Ceres with these Italianate details.
Significance in brief: The house is tied to the settlement of the Central San Joaquin Valley and the growth of its grain agriculture, and it was the first house built in Ceres. Its builder, Daniel Whitmore, founded the temperance town, served as postmaster, owned a ferry and warehouses, and shaped local development. It is also the only surviving structure of its time in Ceres with Italianate features such as curved brackets and pedimented windows.
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 89000230, listed April 5, 1989. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | 2928 Fifth St., Ceres |
|---|---|
| County | Stanislaus County |
| Listed | April 5, 1989 |
| Reference number | 89000230 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1870 - 1893 |
| Architect / builder | Whitmore, Daniel |
| Architectural style | Late Victorian / Italianate |
| Criteria |
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| Areas of significance | Agriculture, Transportation, Exploration/Settlement, Politics/Government, Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | The listing record notes the home is owned by the city of Ceres. Current functions listed include work in progress, a post office and a meeting hall. Minor deterioration is visible on the second-story exterior. |
| Acreage | 0.2 |
| Coordinates | 37.59096, -120.95199 (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 89000230.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikidata Q133554682
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.