Olson, Joseph and Anna, Farm
Why it's listed
Near the base of Norse Hill, about five miles southwest of Clifton, stands a Norwegian-settler farmstead built around a two-story house facing south. The ground floor is limestone and the upper floor is wood frame. A stone engraved "1872" sits above the front door, and a one-story porch runs the length of the facade. The windows are double-hung with six-over-six lights, and a gable roof of corrugated metal carries a corbeled brick chimney. Nearby are a detached stone smokehouse with a lean-to and cellar, two wood-frame barns on stone foundations, and a meandering stone fence in excellent condition. Joseph and Anna Olson came to Bosque County in 1858, but the house was not built until 1872. Its combination of stone and wood-frame construction is unique among the county's Norwegian homes and may reflect a Scandinavian tradition. For many years the upper floor held Jacob Olson's collection of prehistoric relics, natural history objects and pioneer memorabilia, much of which later went to the Bosque County Museum. The farm is currently unoccupied but well preserved.
Significance in brief: The house was built in 1872, after Joseph and Anna Olson arrived in Bosque County in 1858. Its mix of stone and wood-frame construction is described as unique among the county's Norwegian residential buildings and may reflect a Scandinavian building tradition. Its upper floor housed Jacob Olson's collection of prehistoric relics, natural history objects and Norwegian pioneer memorabilia.
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 83003114, listed July 22, 1983. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | SW of Clifton on FM 182, Clifton |
|---|---|
| County | Bosque County |
| Listed | July 22, 1983 |
| Reference number | 83003114 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Areas of significance | European, Exploration/Settlement, Architecture |
| Level of significance | National |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Unoccupied but in good condition, retaining its historic integrity to a remarkable degree; present use listed as vacant, agriculture. |
| Acreage | 0.9 |
| Coordinates | 31.75422, -97.66024 (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.
Noted as vacant in the nomination. Nomination documents can be decades old; current status may differ. If you are considering buying an empty listed property, read the due-diligence checklist.
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 83003114.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikidata Q110001685
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.