Anderson, Judge William Shaw, House
Why it's listed
This house on Mahoning Avenue in Austintown combines two building traditions. The older section is a sandstone house of coursed ashlar, measuring 20 by 29 feet, built between 1828 and 1830 by William Strock, whose father settled in Austintown in 1815. Around 1918 a larger Classical Revival wing of stucco over masonry was added, designed with matching eaves, gables and sills so that the two parts complement each other. The house is best known for Judge William Shaw Anderson, who grew up on his father's farm, was admitted to the bar in 1869, and was elected to the Common Pleas Court in 1912 and 1918. He used the old house as a summer home and later made it his permanent residence until his death in 1925. Local tradition also says the house served as an underground railway station, though documentation is lacking. The Mahoning Valley Sanitary District bought it in 1929 and uses it as the chief engineer's residence.
Significance in brief: The nomination calls it one of the most memorable houses in Austintown Township's local history and an interesting combination of two stylistic building traditions. It is best known for its association with Judge William Shaw Anderson, who built the addition and lived there until 1925. It was also built by early settler William Strock.
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 76001479, listed March 17, 1976. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | 7171 Mahoning Ave., Austintown |
|---|---|
| County | Mahoning County |
| Listed | March 17, 1976 |
| Reference number | 76001479 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1800-1899 |
| Architect / builder | William Strock (original stone house) |
| Architectural style | Late Federal vernacular (original house) and Classical Revival (addition) |
| Areas of significance | Law, Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Used as the residence of the chief engineer of the Mahoning Valley Sanitary District, which bought it in 1929; condition listed as excellent and altered. |
| Acreage | 2 |
| Coordinates | 41.09876, -80.80392 (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 76001479.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q14716558
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.