Hamilton, Robert W., House
Also known as: Vuille House
Why it's listed
This two-story frame house at 203 South 13th Street in Murphysboro, Illinois, is a richly detailed example of carpenter gothic design. Built by 1867 on a stone foundation, it has an L-shaped plan and clapboard siding. Its decoration is unusually varied: the bargeboards on the gables and dormers each follow a different pattern, and a small east-facing balcony features trefoil and quatrefoil tracery beneath an ogee-arched hood. A front porch has trefoil arches on chamfered posts. Only a few changes have been made, including rear additions, a removed chimney and missing finials. It is one of two surviving carpenter gothic houses in Jackson County and the finer of the pair. It was the first house built in Murphysboro's first addition, platted in 1865 as coal mining spurred growth. It also survived the 1925 tornado that destroyed about 1,200 homes. Robert W. Hamilton, a Civil War veteran, postmaster and county Circuit Clerk, later lived there.
Significance in brief: The house is one of two surviving carpenter gothic houses in Jackson County and is considered the finer of the two. Its varied bargeboards, balcony, porches and brackets show how pattern-book designs were carried out by carpenters in small midwestern towns in the 1860s. It was also the first home built in Murphysboro's first addition and survived the 1925 tornado.
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 82002540, listed March 5, 1982. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | 203 S. 13th St., Murphysboro |
|---|---|
| County | Jackson County |
| Listed | March 5, 1982 |
| Reference number | 82002540 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1800-1899 |
| Architect / builder | Unknown (J.O. Cummings, who bought the lot in 1866, was probably the builder) |
| Architectural style | Carpenter Gothic |
| Areas of significance | Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Occupied as a private residence; the form notes it was photographed prior to restoration and that a land trust was formed to preserve it from destruction. |
| Acreage | 0.9 |
| Within district | Murphysboro Downtown Historic District |
| Coordinates | 37.76290, -89.33708 (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 82002540.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q16892051
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.