Gibson House
Why it's listed
Built about 1855 of handmade brick in Jamestown, the two-story house is square in plan, with a hipped roof, a central cupola, and a Georgian center-hall plan. Its design mixes Georgian, Greek Revival and Italianate features, including Corinthian columns on the portico, bracketed cornices, and projecting wooden bay windows decorated with relief carving. Interior woodwork is of solid cherry, with carved staircase and plaster cornices with gilt paint. Dr. William Gibson, who settled in Jamestown in 1836, practiced medicine there and was involved in the Pittsburgh and Erie Railroad, the Franklin and Jamestown Railroad, the Jamestown Seminary and the Jamestown Banking Company. He also took part in the 1867 Quaker City excursion, which Mark Twain described in Innocents Abroad. Local tradition holds that Twain based a doctor character in that book on Gibson. The house is regarded as one of the most impressive buildings in Jamestown.
Significance in brief: The nomination cites the house as one of the most impressive buildings in Jamestown and as the home of Dr. William Gibson, a physician who took part in local railroad, banking, educational and church ventures. It also links the owner to the 1867 Quaker City excursion and to Mark Twain's Innocents Abroad.
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 78002430, listed December 1, 1978. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-haiku-5-5, prompt v1.1-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | 210 Liberty St., Jamestown |
|---|---|
| County | Mercer County |
| Listed | December 1, 1978 |
| Reference number | 78002430 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | circa 1855 |
| Architectural style | Georgian, Greek Revival, and Italianate |
| Areas of significance | Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Converted from a residence to a restaurant, with a concrete block kitchen addition and a tavern in the remodeled basement; the carriage house is also used for restaurant purposes. |
| Acreage | 0.5 |
| Coordinates | 41.48471, -80.43969 (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 78002430.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q5559349
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.