Grubbs, Samuel Moody, House
Also known as: Davis House; Morrison House; Brubaker House
Approximate location: the National Park Service places this pin arbitrarily within the property, not at a surveyed point (stated accuracy ±12 m).
Why it's listed
Built around 1875 at the corner of Union and Montgomery Streets in Litchfield, Illinois, this red brick house was made for Samuel Moody Grubbs, a prominent local banker and civic leader. It has a slate Mansard roof with a suggested central tower, bracketed eaves, corner quoins, arched windows with heavy carved hoods, and a white columned porch wrapping the front and west side. Inside, a curved walnut staircase, carved woodwork, pocket doors, plaster ceiling medallions and marble fireplaces survive. Grubbs's family lived there until 1888, when title passed to his daughter; banker Michael Morrison and his family owned it from 1902 to 1945. The house was designed by St. Louis architect George Ingham Barnett, whose long career produced about 2,500 buildings, mostly in St. Louis. It is the only known surviving example of his work in Illinois, and it shows how he applied a French Mansard roof to an Italianate-based design.
Significance in brief: The house is nominated under Criterion C for architecture as the only known surviving Illinois work of St. Louis architect George Ingham Barnett, who designed roughly 2,500 buildings between 1840 and 1893. It is described as a fine example of his later French-Italian (Second Empire) work, with a Mansard roof of the kind he used on several Italianate houses after the Civil War.
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 90000156, listed February 21, 1990. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | 805 E. Union, Litchfield |
|---|---|
| County | Montgomery County |
| Listed | February 21, 1990 |
| Reference number | 90000156 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1873-74 |
| Architect / builder | Barnett, George Ingham |
| Architectural style | Late Victorian: Second Empire |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Architecture |
| Level of significance | State |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Used as a single dwelling historically; the current function is listed as work in progress. The exterior and interior are described as largely intact, with a rear brick addition and carport. |
| Acreage | 0.5 |
| Coordinates | 39.17783, -89.65281 (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 90000156.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q17299881
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.