Shirts, William, House
Also known as: Camperdown Farm
Why it's listed
Camperdown Farm, at 196 Harmon Road in the Town of Wheatland, centers on a two-story wood-frame house built around 1825 by William Shirts, who came from New Jersey in 1811 and lived first in a log cabin. The vernacular Federal house has a four-bay main block, a rear wing, and gables decorated with carved elliptical fans. Inside, the east parlor has reeded casings with knot-motif corner blocks, and the ground-floor doors are grained to imitate mahogany. The Harmon family bought the property in 1878, and it was often rented or vacant until the mid-1920s, when Mrs. Eugene Harmon and her daughters made it their home. They raised the north wing to two full stories and added the main staircase. Three mid-nineteenth-century barns, a chicken house and corn crib, and an iron windmill remain on the five acres. The property was listed as an early frame house and a reminder of one of the town's first settlers.
Significance in brief: The nomination argues the house is an intact example of vernacular Federal architecture with later nineteenth- and early twentieth-century changes. It is noted for its bold neoclassical interior details, grained doors and carved gable fans. It is also tied to early settler William Shirts and the prominent Harmon family, and its outbuildings show building practices on prosperous lower Genesee Valley farms.
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 04000286, listed April 16, 2004. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | 196 Harmon Rd., Scottsville |
|---|---|
| County | Monroe County |
| Listed | April 16, 2004 |
| Reference number | 04000286 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | ca 1825-ca 1925 |
| Architect / builder | William Shirts |
| Architectural style | Early Republic / Federal (vernacular Federal) |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Still used as a single dwelling, with agricultural land and outbuildings used for field and storage. |
| Acreage | 5 |
| Coordinates | 43.02523, -77.85430 (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 04000286.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q14707799
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.