Hastings Farmstead
Why it's listed
Hastings Farmstead occupies 162 acres of fields, pastures and light woods in the rural town of Dickinson, Franklin County, between Malone and Potsdam. The farm was established in the 1820s, and the Hastings family bought it in 1853. Its focal point is a Victorian farmhouse built in 1896 with Stick style and Queen Anne style details, which incorporated an 1820s summer kitchen as a rear wing. Seven outbuildings survive: horse and carriage barn, a former pig barn with smokehouse, a large three-story dairy barn from the 1880s, a farm shop, a springhouse turned milk house, and a 1926 garage. The farm was a dairy operation through much of its history, later with Jersey cows, and since 1995 it has raised sheep. The property was listed for its architecture and its illustration of farming in the northern Adirondack foothills, with buildings and land remaining largely intact from about the 1820s to the 1940s.
Significance in brief: The nomination argues the farmstead is a remarkably intact collection of agricultural buildings set in 162 acres of intact farmland. The buildings embody distinctive types, periods and methods of construction (Criterion C, architecture). The property also illustrates the long importance of farming in the northern foothills of the Adirondacks (Criterion A, agriculture).
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 07000872, listed August 30, 2007. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | 12 Conservation Rd., Dickinson Center |
|---|---|
| County | Franklin County |
| Listed | August 30, 2007 |
| Reference number | 07000872 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | ca. 1820s - ca. 1940s |
| Architect / builder | unknown |
| Architectural style | Early 19th/early 20th century: vernacular |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Agriculture, Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Still a working farm and single-family residence; the dairy barns now mostly house a flock of about 140 sheep, and the other outbuildings serve farm-related purposes. |
| Acreage | 137 |
| Coordinates | 44.76559, -74.51362 (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 07000872.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q5680345
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.