Johnson Hall State Historic Site

Johnson Hall
House following repainting in 2006
Location: Johnstown, New York
Built: 1763
Architectural style: Georgian
Governing body: State
NRHP Reference#: 66000520
Significant dates
Added to NRHP: October 15, 1966[1]
Designated NHL: October 9, 1960[2]

Johnson Hall State Historic Site was the home of Sir William Johnson (1715–1774) an Irish pioneer who became the influential British Superintendent of Indian Affairs in the Province of New York, known for his strong relationship especially with the Mohawk and other Iroquois League nations.

The house was built seven miles from the Mohawk River, close to Hall Creek. Hall Creek provided water sufficient to power a sawmill and later a grist mill. Built of wood, the house frame was covered with clapboards to simulate stone. Because there were no professional architects available, Johnson drew up the Georgian-style plans for the house himself; he hired the carpenter, Samuel Fuller, to build it.[3] At least some of the ideas for the house came from the Builders' Companion magazine. Johnson also had two block houses built as defenses against attack on the frontier, as the British had just ended the Seven Years War with the French.

Johnson founded Johnstown, New York, and came to own a 400,000 acres (160,000 ha) estate. Johnson moved here from Old Fort Johnson in 1763 and lived here until he died in 1774. The house was inherited by his son, John Johnson. During the American Revolution, the rebel government in New York seized Johnson Hall because the Johnsons had gone to Canada as Loyalists. In 1779 the state sold the house to Silas Talbot, a migrant from New England.[4]

It was used as a private residence by various owners until 1906, when the state bought it for preservation and interpretation as a house museum of the most important colonial landowner in the state. It received restoration in the early twentieth century and in the 1950s, to remove additions of the late nineteenth century and better reflect its original time. The historic site includes more than 18 acres of land.[4]

The house was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1960.[2][4]

Johnson Hall is located at Hall Avenue, West State Street and Johnson Avenue, in Johnstown, New York.

External links

References

  1. ^ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. 2007-01-23. http://nrhp.focus.nps.gov/natreg/docs/All_Data.html. 
  2. ^ a b "Johnson Hall". National Historic Landmark summary listing. National Park Service. http://tps.cr.nps.gov/nhl/detail.cfm?ResourceId=373&ResourceType=District. Retrieved 2007-11-16. 
  3. ^ Milton W. Hamilton, Sir William Johnson: Colonial American, 1715–1763 (Port Washington, New York: Kennikat Press, 1976; ISBN 0-8046-9134-7), p. 313.
  4. ^ a b c Charles H. Ashton and Richard W. Hunter (October 15, 1984). National Register of Historic Places Inventory-Nomination: Johnson Hall National Historic LandmarkPDF (882 KB). National Park Service  and Accompanying 14 photos, exterior and interior, from 1984.PDF (2.96 MB)
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