Valentine-French House
Why it's listed
Built in 1769 on the 13th lot of the Freemen's Purchase, this Georgian house on North Main Street in Fall River was constructed by William Valentine for his bride, Sybil Winslow, two years after their marriage. Valentine, grandson of the first Valentine in America, raised nine children here and served on a pre-Revolutionary Committee of Correspondence. The five-bay, 2½-story house has a large center chimney with six outlets, a big cooking fireplace, Georgian wood panelling and sliding window shutters. Its doorway has flat pilasters, a pediment with dentiled cornice, and a pulvinated frieze over a transom. The Horace French family owned it from about 1850 to 1928. It is one of six Steep Brook houses that reflect the area's rural, agricultural past, before the first textile mill arrived in 1811. It stands out for its documented date, patriot builder, fine detailing and high degree of integrity, with only the clapboards replaced by shingles.
Significance in brief: The house is one of six in the Steep Brook area considered the best representatives of Fall River's pre-industrial period. Its construction date is documented, its original owner was a Revolutionary War patriot, and its architectural detailing is exceptional, especially the pedimented doorway. It is also remarkably intact, apart from shingles replacing the original clapboards.
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 83000727, listed February 16, 1983. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | 5105 N. Main St., Fall River |
|---|---|
| County | Bristol County |
| Listed | February 16, 1983 |
| Reference number | 83000727 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Architectural style | Georgian |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Architecture |
| Level of significance | State |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Present use is single family residence. |
| Acreage | 2 |
| Coordinates | 41.75123, -71.11053 (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 83000727.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q14715898
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.