Hamilton Farmstead
Why it's listed
Sixteen acres of former farmland on Hamilton Street in Mexico, New York, hold a cobblestone farmhouse and several farm outbuildings. Richard and Agnes Hamilton came from Oneida County in 1824 and built the house beginning in 1848 with architect-mason David Wilcox, who married a Hamilton daughter. Cobbles were gathered at Mexico Point on Lake Ontario and laid in deep V-shaped mortar joints. The two-story, three-bay Greek Revival house has wide wooden corner pilasters, cut stone lintels and an entrance with sidelights. It is the only cobblestone building in the town and one of five in Oswego County. A mid-nineteenth-century wood barn, an early twentieth-century concrete block milkhouse and three hand-dug stone-lined wells survive, illustrating the shift to dairy farming. The farm later declined and lost many buildings, yet the remaining land and structures keep a rural character tied to the town's agricultural past.
Significance in brief: It is a representative example of farmsteads in the Town and Village of Mexico and reflects the agricultural way of life there from early settlement into the twentieth century. The farmhouse is the only cobblestone building in the town and one of only five in Oswego County, noted for its craftsmanship and Greek Revival detailing. The surviving barn, milkhouse, wells and remaining farmland convey the farm's agricultural history.
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 91001657, listed November 18, 1991. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | 5644 Hamilton St., Mexico |
|---|---|
| County | Oswego County |
| Listed | November 18, 1991 |
| Reference number | 91001657 |
| Resource type | District |
| Period of significance | 1848-c1930 |
| Architect / builder | David Wilcox |
| Architectural style | Greek Revival |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Agriculture, Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Current function is single dwelling with a secondary structure; the farmhouse is essentially a village residence, and the cow barn collapsed around 1975 and was replaced by a non-contributing modern barn. |
| Acreage | 15 |
| Coordinates | 43.47497, -76.23064 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
This is a historic district. Buildings within its boundary are either contributing (they add to the district's significance) or non-contributing. Owners of contributing income-producing buildings can claim the 20% federal rehabilitation tax credit; homeowners should look at state credits. National Register districts impose no design review by themselves; a local historic district ordinance, if one exists, does (the difference explained).
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 91001657.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q5644931
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.