Stewart House and Howard-Stewart Family Cemetery
Why it's listed
Set on Blenheim Hill in the town of Jefferson, this nominated property combines a farmhouse with a family cemetery located across State Route 10. The house is a two-story, timber-framed, front-gable building with a side wing, clad in clapboards and resting on a cut limestone foundation. Classical details include Doric corner pilasters, a full pediment and a detailed entrance surround. It was probably built in the 1850s for Elijah Stewart, who settled on the farm in 1842. Its construction reflects a period when local farmers finally gained title to their land after years of paying rent to landlords, which made lasting investment in buildings safe. The Howard-Stewart cemetery, enclosed by a dry-laid stone wall with an iron gate, holds thirteen known burials from 1828 to 1881. It is associated with the earliest European settlement of the property and with the Howard and Stewart families, and it survives with high integrity despite some overgrowth.
Significance in brief: The house is a locally important, highly intact example of a gable-front, upright-and-wing farmhouse with Greek Revival detailing, and its construction reflects farmers gaining free title to their land after decades of tenancy. The cemetery is an intact private family burial ground tied to the earliest European settlement of the property and holds genealogical information not found elsewhere.
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 12000261, listed May 8, 2012. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | 583 NY 10, South Jefferson |
|---|---|
| County | Schoharie County |
| Listed | May 8, 2012 |
| Reference number | 12000261 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1828-1881 |
| Architectural style | Mid-19th Century: Greek Revival |
| Criteria |
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| Areas of significance | Architecture, Social History |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Both the house and the cemetery are in historic use as a single dwelling and a cemetery. The cemetery shows overgrowth and some toppled stones from deferred maintenance. No outbuildings survive. |
| Acreage | 4.2 |
| Coordinates | 42.44690, -74.58170 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
For a publicly owned building or structure, listing mainly matters when federal funds, permits or licences are involved: projects then go through Section 106 review so effects on the property are considered. Listing also strengthens applications for preservation grants and, for leased income-producing uses, can enable the federal rehabilitation tax credit.
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 12000261.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q23073926
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.