Palatine German Frame House
Why it's listed
Set at the base of a wooded ravine on Route 5 west of Herkimer, this small timber-framed house was built by Palatine German settlers around 1760. It has a post-and-girt frame with mortise-and-tenon joints, a fieldstone foundation, brick end chimneys, a steep wood-shingled gable roof and a center hall flanked by two rooms with open fireplaces. Heavy ceiling timbers were planed smooth because they were meant to be seen. The house stands on part of a lot in Burnetsfield, the tract granted in the 1720s where Palatine Germans settled in the Mohawk Valley. Many early wooden dwellings of the region burned during the French and Indian War and the Revolution, and the builder and first owner are unknown. The house is considered the only known surviving timber-frame settlement-period residence in the upper Mohawk Valley. A careful restoration in the late 1990s used original glass, moldings and other surviving fragments, and the building keeps a high degree of integrity.
Significance in brief: The nomination argues it is an extremely rare and intact example of settlement-period frame residential architecture in the Mohawk Valley. It is described as the only known surviving timber-frame settlement-era house in the upper Mohawk Valley and reflects the late medieval Northern European building tradition brought by Palatine Germans. A late-1990s restoration relied on extensive surviving original materials.
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 04000282, listed April 15, 2004. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | 4217 NY 5, Herkimer |
|---|---|
| County | Herkimer County |
| Listed | April 15, 2004 |
| Reference number | 04000282 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | circa 1760-1810 |
| Architectural style | COLONIAL/German colonial |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Exploration/Settlement, Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Restored in the late 1990s; still used as a single-family dwelling, with a modern shed-roofed rear addition containing kitchen, bathroom and dining area. |
| Acreage | 1.8 |
| Coordinates | 43.02832, -75.04272 (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 04000282.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q7126812
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.