Harper, John B., House
Why it's listed
This one-story brick house at 102 North Lincoln in Palestine, Illinois, dates to about 1833 and follows the Hall and Parlor plan: a rectangular building of two rooms, one larger than the other, with no central hallway. Its walls are whitewashed American bond brick on a sandstone foundation, with a symmetrical front, flat brick arches over the openings and a corbelled cornice. Behind it stands a separate timber-frame building with hand-hewn timbers, mortise and tenon joinery and pit-sawn oak sheeting. The two buildings were joined between about 1905 and 1910, and a smaller extension was added between 1910 and 1916. The house was listed for its architecture. It shows a Hall and Parlor form and two early construction methods, brick and timber framing, from the town's settlement period. The builder is unknown. The property is a single contributing building on less than one acre.
Significance in brief: The house was found to meet Criterion C as an example of a Hall and Parlor house from the 1830s. It also represents two early construction types from Palestine's settlement period: brick and timber framing. The brick house and the timber building were joined in the early 20th century.
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 03001199, listed March 15, 2004. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | 102 N. Lincoln, Palestine |
|---|---|
| County | Crawford County |
| Listed | March 15, 2004 |
| Reference number | 03001199 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | ca. 1833 1911 |
| Architect / builder | Unknown |
| Architectural style | Other: Hall and Parlor |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Current function is listed as work in progress; the house and grounds are described as in fairly good condition. |
| Acreage | 0.9 |
| Coordinates | 39.00219, -87.61133 (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 03001199.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q14687676
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.