Archer, William, House
Why it's listed
Built around 1811 on Washington Street in Brownville, the William Archer House is a rectangular two-story limestone dwelling with a gabled roof. Its five-bay front has masonry walls laid in coursed ashlar and rubble, with stone lintels over the double-hung sash windows and door openings. An interior chimney rises through the south elevation, and ells were added in the mid-nineteenth century. The house sits among lawns, shade trees and spacious yards beside the similar Arthur Walrath House, which was built at the same time for the same purpose. During the War of 1812 the two neighboring buildings temporarily housed prisoners. The house is one of five limestone structures in Brownville that survive substantially unaltered. It is regarded as a good example of the modest vernacular homes typical of the St. Lawrence region in the early nineteenth century, built from local Trenton limestone quarried at the building site.
Significance in brief: The house is presented as an excellent surviving example of the modest dwellings typical of the St. Lawrence region in the early nineteenth century. Together with the neighboring Walrath House it is one of the few substantially unaltered limestone structures left in the village. The two houses also temporarily held prisoners during the War of 1812.
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 80002623, listed November 19, 1980. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | 112 Washington St., Brownville |
|---|---|
| County | Jefferson County |
| Listed | November 19, 1980 |
| Reference number | 80002623 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Architectural style | Vernacular, five-bay, two-story limestone dwelling with random ashlar loadbearing walls |
| Areas of significance | Military, Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Privately owned; surrounded by lawns, shade trees and spacious yards. The form marks its condition as deteriorated or fair, and the form's checkmarks are hard to read. |
| Acreage | 0.8 |
| Coordinates | 44.00307, -75.98178 (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 80002623.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q8004517
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.