Belt-Gaskin House
Why it's listed
Built about 1868 on the north side of Chapman Avenue, then called Cornell Street, this two-story, three-bay frame house sits in a south Auburn neighborhood that developed near Harriet Tubman's home. It has a stone foundation, vinyl siding and a rear wing, and was probably built in two sections between 1868 and 1874. Thomas and Rachael Belt, African Americans born in Maryland who had lived in Canada, bought the lot from Horace Fitch, acting for his abolitionist father Abijah Fitch, who sold about twenty lots to Black buyers in the area. The house later passed to Philip and Mary Elliott Gaskin in 1927. Mary Gaskin was a descendant of Tubman's family circle and inherited a third of Tubman's estate. The house represents the continuity of freedom seekers within Auburn's African American community from the 1860s onward. Twentieth-century changes include a front porch and one-over-one windows, yet it still serves as a home.
Significance in brief: The house is tied to freedom seekers and the Auburn African American community from the 1860s onward. It was first owned by Thomas and Rachael Belt, who returned from Canada, and later by Philip and Mary Elliott Gaskin, Mary being a niece-line relative of Harriet Tubman and a beneficiary of her will. It anchors a neighborhood of freedom seekers and others who bought lots from abolitionist Abijah Fitch.
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 05001135, listed October 5, 2005. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | 77 Chapman Ave., Auburn |
|---|---|
| County | Cayuga County |
| Listed | October 5, 2005 |
| Reference number | 05001135 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1868- ca. 1950 |
| Architectural style | Mid/late-19th Century: vernacular |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Black, Social History |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Still used as a single-family dwelling; retains historic location, design, setting, feeling and association, with 20th-century changes including vinyl siding, a front porch and replacement windows. |
| Acreage | 0.8 |
| Coordinates | 42.92222, -76.57562 (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 05001135.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q4884695
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.