Wright, Dr. Charles M., House
Why it's listed
This two-story brick house at 3 West Jackson Street in Altamont was completed in 1889 for Charles Montague Wright I, a physician who had moved his family to the new village in 1870. Architect Charles Spilman, a former doctor from Edwardsville, supplied a 28-page handwritten specification, and contractor Charles Hanker of Cumberland County built it. Materials, labor and furnishings cost $35,000. The Italianate design has American-bond brick walls, stone quoins, a bracketed cornice, pedimented dormers, original multicolored slate roofing and twin two-story bay windows. Inside are eighteen rooms, cherry and oak woodwork, and four working fireplaces. Four oak outbuildings survive: a barn, summer kitchen, smoke house and coal house. The nomination calls it the finest Italianate building in Effingham County and notes that it has passed down through the Wright family, who practiced medicine, ran a bank and opera house, and served local schools and churches in Altamont.
Significance in brief: The nomination argues the house is the prime example of Italianate architecture in Effingham County (criterion C). It also meets criterion A because it has stayed in the Wright family since 1889, a family that helped settle Altamont and served it in medicine, banking, schools, church and music.
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 86001018, listed May 8, 1986. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | 3 W. Jackson St., Altamont |
|---|---|
| County | Effingham County |
| Listed | May 8, 1986 |
| Reference number | 86001018 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1800-1899 |
| Architect / builder | Charles Hanker, contractor from Cumberland County, Illinois; Charles H. Spilman, architect from Edwardsville, Illinois |
| Architectural style | Italianate |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Architecture, Social History |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Occupied as a private residence, in excellent condition, on its original site and described as unaltered. |
| Acreage | 3 |
| Coordinates | 39.06598, -88.74816 (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 86001018.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q5304023
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.