Dorsey-Jones House
Why it's listed
Built between late 1849 and August 1850, this small Greek Revival house at 191 Nonotuck Street sits on a rise in Florence, a mill village in Northampton. Basil Dorsey bought the lot in the hillside development once called Bensonville, laid out near a cotton factory whose president helped found the Northampton Association of Education and Industry. The house follows the upright-and-wing plan, a modest, affordable type common among laboring families, with a front-gabled main block and a one-story kitchen wing. Its timber frame, plan and much of the interior survive beneath later aluminum siding and asphalt roofing, though the wing was extended in 1952 and the entry porch was removed in the 1960s. The house is part of a group of sites documenting the Underground Railroad in Massachusetts. Its story connects to Thomas H. Jones, who escaped slavery in North Carolina in 1849, reached Boston that October, and later wrote narratives of his life.
Significance in brief: The house is part of the Underground Railroad in Massachusetts multiple property listing. It is tied to Basil Dorsey and to the fugitive Thomas H. Jones, an author and minister whose escape story is told in the nomination. It is also an intact example of a modest mid-19th century dwelling type in a utopian-influenced mill village.
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 05000931, listed September 2, 2005. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | 191 Nonotuck St., Northampton |
|---|---|
| County | Hampshire County |
| Listed | September 2, 2005 |
| Reference number | 05000931 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Architectural style | Mid-19th Century, Greek Revival (upright-and-wing plan) |
| Areas of significance | Black, Social History |
| Level of significance | State |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Still a single dwelling. The upright section is largely intact, while the wing and some exterior and interior finishes were altered, including aluminum siding added around 1960. |
| Acreage | 0.9 |
| Coordinates | 42.33118, -72.67114 (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 05000931.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q5298892
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.