Goodsell House
Why it's listed
Built in 1899-1900 on Main Street in Old Forge, this 2 1/2-story wood frame house reflects the vernacular Queen Anne style in a modest form. It has a steeply pitched gable roof suited to heavy snow, a stone foundation, a wraparound porch with turned posts and balustrade, and an interior that keeps its original room layout and varnished woodwork. Behind it stand a carriage barn and a small icehouse, the only known surviving example of its kind in the hamlet. George Goodsell, a guide, carpenter and building contractor, built the house for his family and ran his business from an office on the first floor. He built lakeside camps for architect Augustus D. Shepard, became Old Forge's first mayor in 1903, and built its first fire station in 1908. His son Robert lived in the house until 1994 and left it to the Town of Webb Historical Association, which operates it as a local history museum.
Significance in brief: The house is significant under Criterion C as a substantially intact, representative example of vernacular, Queen Anne-inspired residential construction in Old Forge. It reflects regional building practice from the community's earliest period of permanent settlement. It was also the home and business office of George Goodsell, a prominent local builder, and the complex retains its original outbuildings.
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 06000265, listed April 12, 2006. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | 2993 Main St., Old Forge |
|---|---|
| County | Herkimer County |
| Listed | April 12, 2006 |
| Reference number | 06000265 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1899-1924 |
| Architect / builder | George Goodsell (builder) |
| Architectural style | Late Victorian/Vernacular Queen Anne |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Now used as a local history museum; the house and outbuildings are being restored and preserved, and the kitchen and rear wing were adapted for museum use in 2004. |
| Acreage | 0.9 |
| Within district | New York Central Railroad Adirondack Division Historic District |
| Coordinates | 43.70765, -74.97839 (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 06000265.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q5583606
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.