Miss Amelia's Cottage
Also known as: Jacob Schellinger House
Why it's listed
Miss Amelia's Cottage, also called the Jacob Schellinger House, is a one-story frame dwelling on the north side of Main Street in Amagansett, East Hampton. Jacob Schellinger built it about 1725, and around 1790 Jonathan Schellinger moved it roughly 100 feet east to its present spot beside his father's house. It has a low rubble foundation, a high-pitched gable roof, a three-bay front, and a massive central brick chimney, with rooms arranged around the chimney. Several walls use oak planks spiked between the posts in place of conventional studs, an unusual method of construction. Interior finishes show Federal-period and mid-nineteenth-century updates. The house was listed as a rare, intact early example of the local vernacular Cape Cod cottage and as a reminder of East Hampton's agrarian past. Mary Amelia Schellinger, born there in 1841, owned it until 1930, giving it its popular name. The Amagansett Historical Association acquired it in 1964 and operates it as a museum.
Significance in brief: The nomination argues the house is a rare surviving example of early-eighteenth-century residential architecture in East Hampton. It is an intact example of the one-story "Cape Cod cottage" form, with a central-chimney floor plan. It also has an unusual wall construction using vertical oak planks instead of wall studs. Later updates reflect changing tastes through the nineteenth century.
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 94000070, listed February 25, 1994. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | N side Main St., at the jct. of Windmill La., Town of East Hampton, Amagansett |
|---|---|
| County | Suffolk County |
| Listed | February 25, 1994 |
| Reference number | 94000070 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | c.1725-c.1900 |
| Architect / builder | Jacob Schellinger (builder); architect unknown |
| Architectural style | Colonial/post medieval English |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Operated as a historic house museum by the Amagansett Historical Association, which bought it in 1964. |
| Acreage | 1 |
| Coordinates | 40.97403, -72.14375 (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 94000070.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q4742237
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.