Allcorn-Kokemoor Farmstead
Also known as: Allcorn House
Why it's listed
Along Independence Road, about 3.5 miles north of Brenham, a 25-acre farmstead preserves a house and working buildings spanning roughly a century of farm life. The core is a two-story, four-room hall-and-parlor house built in the mid-1840s by Thomas Jefferson Allcorn, one of Stephen F. Austin's original colonists. Its hand-hewn, braced-frame construction and simple cedar and pine finishes reflect vernacular building of the period. After German immigrants arrived in the 1870s, the Kokemoor family enlarged the house with one-story kitchen and bedroom wings, added a metal roof after a 1930s fire, and built a barn, garage, sheds, wells and a brick cistern. The property was once part of a far larger holding and now serves as a reminder of how antebellum plantations broke into smaller farms. The house shows deterioration but remains structurally sound, and rehabilitation as a bed-and-breakfast inn is under way.
Significance in brief: The farmstead is argued to be a rare surviving example of a farm that developed from early Anglo settlement in Washington County through the German immigration of the 1870s. The house reflects vernacular building traditions of the 1840s, and its wings and outbuildings show changing agricultural methods and household needs over about 100 years. It is nominated at the local level under Criteria A (Agriculture) and C (Architecture).
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 98001015, listed August 6, 1998. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | Independence Rd., 5 mi. N of Brenham, Brenham |
|---|---|
| County | Washington County |
| Listed | August 6, 1998 |
| Reference number | 98001015 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | c. 1845 - 1948 |
| Architect / builder | unknown |
| Architectural style | Other: hall and parlor house; No Style |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Agriculture, Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Listed function is vacant/not in use; the house is in a state of deterioration but structurally sound, and is being rehabilitated for use as a bed-and-breakfast inn. |
| Acreage | 25 |
| Coordinates | 30.22315, -96.38105 (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 98001015.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikidata Q109999547
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.