Shefstad, Gunarus and Ingerborg, House
Why it's listed
Just north of Clifton's city limits on State Highway 6, this one-and-a-half-story stone house was probably built soon after Gunarus Shefstad bought the land in 1868. Shefstad came to Bosque County in the 1860s and worked as a farmer, carpenter and cabinet-maker. In 1876 he was hired to help build Our Savior's Lutheran Church. The house follows a symmetrical plan. Its south front has three bays, with a flat arch over the central doorway and segmental arches over the single windows on either side. The rear wall also has three bays, a flat arch over the broad central opening and stone lintels over the outer bays. An exterior stone chimney rises from the east gable end, and the gable roof is covered with corrugated metal. The house has been unoccupied since the 1950s and is dilapidated but relatively stable, with few alterations. It is used for storage, and no associated buildings survive. It is the only house in its group of Norwegian settlement properties that lies outside the main settlement area.
Significance in brief: It is a good example of the symmetrical type of stone house found in the Norwegian settlement of Bosque County. It is the only structure in the nomination group that lies outside the main Norwegian settlement area. Its original owner, Gunarus Shefstad, was a farmer, carpenter and cabinet-maker who helped build Our Savior's Lutheran Church in 1876.
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 83003125, listed July 22, 1983. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | N of Clifton, Clifton |
|---|---|
| County | Bosque County |
| Listed | July 22, 1983 |
| Reference number | 83003125 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Architectural style | Symmetrical type stone house |
| Areas of significance | European, Exploration/Settlement, Architecture |
| Level of significance | National |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Unoccupied since the 1950s; in dilapidated but relatively stable condition, used for storage, with few alterations. |
| Acreage | 0.9 |
| Coordinates | 31.79574, -97.58719 (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 83003125.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikidata Q110000362
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.