Wellman House
Why it's listed
Wellman House is a clapboard residence on Main Street in Friendship, New York, dating to 1835. It occupies 3 1/2 acres of formal grounds near the center of the village. The original block was later given a mansard roof with Victorian segmental dormers, and a two-story gabled addition was built in the 1920s. A board-and-batten carriage house with a gambrel roof, now a three-bay garage, stands to the rear. The house is valued as a well-preserved though altered example of mid-19th century architecture and as a focal point of the village. It is also linked to the Wellman family. Col. Abijah Joslyn Wellman worked in banking, lumbering and petroleum, served as a town supervisor and sat in the State Senate, where he framed prison reform legislation. His son Guy, a Yale and New York Law School graduate, had a notable legal career. After Guy Wellman's widow died in 1973, ownership passed to the village under his will.
Significance in brief: The nomination presents the house as a well-preserved though altered example of mid-19th century architecture and a focal point of the village. It is also tied to the Wellman family, notably Col. Abijah Joslyn Wellman and his son Guy, who were prominent in local banking, industry, politics and law. The formal grounds, reduced from an original 72 acres, add to its grandeur.
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 74001219, listed June 20, 1974. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | Main St., Friendship |
|---|---|
| County | Allegany County |
| Listed | June 20, 1974 |
| Reference number | 74001219 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 19th Century (specific date 1835) |
| Architectural style | Mid-19th century house with a later Victorian mansard roof |
| Areas of significance | Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Good condition and altered; owned by the Village of Friendship after transfer under Guy Wellman's will; listed as a private residence in present use. |
| Acreage | 3.5 |
| Coordinates | 42.20630, -78.13668 (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 74001219.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q14707733
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.