Chaumont House
Why it's listed
Chaumont House is a stone residence at the corner of Water Street and Main Street in the village of Chaumont, Jefferson County. Begun in 1806 for James LeRay de Chaumont, the French landowner who promoted settlement across northern Jefferson County, it combined a land office, lodging for LeRay and his guests, and later a public inn. His agent Musgrove Evans finished it by 1818. The main block is a five-by-three-bay Federal building of roughly dressed limestone, set off by paired gable-end chimneys, ovoid gable windows, smooth limestone trim and elliptical-arched entrances with fanlights. A frame wing was altered in 1929. After the railroad shifted the village center, the building declined, then was revived in the 1890s as a summer home with Colonial Revival porches. Its original central-hall plan and mantelpieces survive. A carriage barn and 1920s garage also contribute. The house is regarded as one of the oldest buildings in Lyme and its most intact stone building of this type.
Significance in brief: It is an intact example of vernacular Federal masonry architecture in Lyme, with ornament such as paired gable-end chimneys, ovoid gable windows and elliptical-arched fanlit entrances. It is also tied to James LeRay de Chaumont, the French landowner who began settling Jefferson County; the building served as his land office, guest house and Lyme's first public inn. Later it became one of the town's first seasonal homes.
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 90001341, listed September 6, 1990. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | Main St., Chaumont |
|---|---|
| County | Jefferson County |
| Listed | September 6, 1990 |
| Reference number | 90001341 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | c.1806-1820 |
| Architectural style | Vernacular Federal |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Exploration/Settlement, Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Condition listed as good; still used as a residence, with a contributing carriage barn and garage and a non-contributing pool and poolhouse. |
| Acreage | 1.8 |
| Coordinates | 44.06896, -76.13821 (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 90001341.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q5088190
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.