Ford, Jacob, House
Why it's listed
Built in 1837 by Jacob Ford, this rectangular stone house rises two and a half stories under a gable roof, with a one-and-a-half-story stone wing on the south side. Located on Northumberland Street in Morristown, it sits on Chapman Point, on a landscaped lot with views of the St. Lawrence River and Brockville, Ontario. A fanlight marks the small entryway, which is sheltered by a giant portico added around 1890. Inside, the principal rooms retain Federal moldings, cornices and mantels, folding interior window shutters, and a curved stair hall wall with a curved door to the parlor. Ford was the eldest son of David Ford, land agent to Gouverneur Morris. Henry Chapman, a founder of the First National Bank of Ogdensburg, bought the property in 1888. His son Charles S. Chapman, a nationally known academic painter, used the third floor as a studio. The house is considered locally significant as the village's best surviving Federal style stone house.
Significance in brief: The form calls it the village's best surviving Federal style stone house. It is also tied to the Ford and Chapman families: Jacob Ford built it, and later owner Henry Chapman's son, painter Charles S. Chapman, used it as a summer residence and studio.
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 82004684, listed September 2, 1982. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | Northumberland St., Morristown |
|---|---|
| County | St. Lawrence County |
| Listed | September 2, 1982 |
| Reference number | 82004684 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Architectural style | Federal |
| Areas of significance | Art, Exploration/Settlement, Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Still used as a residence; condition rated fair, no threats known. |
| Acreage | 7 |
| Coordinates | 44.58595, -75.65208 (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 82004684.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q6118634
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.