Hallock-Bilunas Farmstead
Why it's listed
Seven buildings make up this small farmstead on Herricks Lane, north of Jamesport in the Town of Riverhead. The centerpiece is a two-story, five-bay farmhouse built around 1880, clad in wood shingles and wrapped by an open porch. Behind and beside it stand barns, sheds and workshops from the late 19th or early 20th century, including a large barn last used to store potatoes. The house is vernacular, with no recognized architectural style, and the outbuildings reflect practical, make-do construction typical of a modest farm. The property descends from Hallock family lands settled in the 17th century; Lemuel Beecher Hallock developed the farm in the late 19th century, and it was sold in 1940 to John Bilunas, who grew potatoes with his son. The grouping was listed for its intact record of small-scale farming, when potatoes dominated local agriculture, in an area where farmland is giving way to housing, vineyards and nurseries.
Significance in brief: The nomination argues the farmstead is architecturally significant as a modest late-19th century farmhouse with a grouping of farm buildings typical of small-scale Riverhead farms from the late 19th to mid-20th century. It also retains the setting and functional layout of the town's dominant agricultural economy, including potato farming. It is described as an increasingly rare view of Riverhead's agricultural past.
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 03000251, listed April 18, 2003. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | 733 Herricks Ln., Jamesport |
|---|---|
| County | Suffolk County |
| Listed | April 18, 2003 |
| Reference number | 03000251 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | ca. 1880 |
| Architect / builder | unknown |
| Architectural style | No Style (vernacular) |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Architecture, Agriculture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | The farmhouse was renovated recently, with new windows, porch posts and shingle siding matching the original look. The outbuildings show little alteration. The surrounding fields are in separate ownership but still in agricultural use. |
| Acreage | 2 |
| Coordinates | 40.97852, -72.59128 (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 03000251.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q5643051
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.