Power Farmstead
Why it's listed
Power Farmstead is a 98-acre complex near Cantrall in Sangamon County, Illinois, laid out by pioneer farmer George Power after he arrived in 1821. It includes a brick farmhouse from about 1840-1850, later given Queen Anne additions, and a frame courthouse of 1829 that served as both home and courtroom for Justice Power. Other buildings include a detached summer kitchen, a stable, a 100-foot barn from about 1885, a scales house, a corn crib, service buildings, a privy, and a family cemetery with a limestone mausoleum. Power began with five dollars and built a farm of nearly 2,500 acres, the largest in the township. His barn and scales house reflect the growth of cash-crop and livestock farming after the Civil War. The farmstead is notable for its completeness: its buildings, fences and lanes remain much as they were more than a century ago, and only two small twentieth-century sheds intrude. The grounds also hold potential for historic archaeology.
Significance in brief: The farmstead is an unusually complete example of a 19th-century central Illinois farm layout, with the main house, outbuildings, fencing and cemetery largely unchanged. It reflects the rise of George Power, a self-made pioneer who became one of the county's largest landowners, and the shift to commercial stock and crop farming. A state rural property survey found no other Sangamon County farm with as many surviving 19th-century outbuildings.
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 89000341, listed May 1, 1989. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | Co. Rd. 9.5 North, 0.5 mi. E of Cantrall, Cantrall |
|---|---|
| County | Sangamon County |
| Listed | May 1, 1989 |
| Reference number | 89000341 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Architect / builder | Alexander Crawford (builder of the 1829 Power Courthouse for George Power) |
| Architectural style | Early Republic - Federal; Late Victorian - Queen Anne |
| Areas of significance | Agriculture, Exploration/Settlement, Politics/Government |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Described as excellently maintained and essentially unchanged; the house, outbuildings and cemetery are still in domestic and agricultural use. |
| Acreage | 98 |
| Coordinates | 39.94377, -89.66270 (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 89000341.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q20709587
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.