John Rogers Homestead
Site 5CO1234
The purpose of this document is to evaluate site 5CO1234, or the Rogers Homestead, for inclusion in the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP). This project is subject to Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act (NHPA). The project is being undertaken by the State Department of Transportation (SDOT). The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) is the lead federal agency responsible for the implementation of Section 106, and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) is providing funds to help facilitate the work.
SDOT has determined the need for substantial improvements to a highway running near a river. The highway has been repeatedly damaged in the past 20 years due to catastrophic flooding caused by severe thunderstorms. The lanes and shoulders also must be widened to meet current design standards. SDOT would like to re-align the road by moving it 200 feet away from its current path and up onto a second terrace above the floodplain.
An Area of Potential Effects (APE) was located on a hill above the second terrace. The APE consists of a long abandoned Tudor Revival house, built in 1928 for the Rogers family, that appears to have retained all of its original materials. The APE also includes a yard near the crest of the hill that includes a possible filled-in privy pit and trash scatter. Recovered items in the trash scatter include hole-in-cap cans, an aqua glass medicine bottle, and a purple/sun-colored amethyst whiskey bottle. Archival research also identified that a foundation in the APE was the location of a “proving-up” house that was built in 1872. John Rogers, the original settler of the property who also lived there until his death, was the founder of a quarry that became one of the dominant employers in the county. This quarry provided marble that was used in the state capital. The quarry is not part of the site.
The Rogers Homestead was evaluated for the NRHP and is recommended under the criteria C, B, D, and possibly A. According to Practicing Archeology: A Manual for Cultural Resources Archeology (Neumann et al. 2022), these criteria are as follows:
- Criteria A – is associated with a nationally, regionally, or locally important event.
- Criteria B – is associated with a nationally, regionally, or locally important person.
- Criteria C – is a good example of a product of a master craftsman or a good example of a period or style that embodies the distinctive characteristics of a type, period, or method of construction.
- Criteria D – has the potential to provide data important for addressing major research questions as it applies to a given area.
The site possibly fits with criteria A, as the site demonstrates the vital importance of the early homesteading acts and how they contributed to the building of America.
The site certainly fits into criteria B, as John Rogers become a vital piece of the local and regional community. The marble that came from his quarry helped to build the state capital. This same quarry was a major employer in the area, helping to build the local community into what it is today.
The site fits firmly into criteria C. The home, built in 1928 by John’s grandson James, is a perfect example of Tudor Revival. Tudors are brick and stone homes that became popular around the 1920s and 30s and pay homage to the classic Tudors of the 17th and 18th centuries. This site, though long abandoned, maintains all original materials. According to the US Department of Transportation’s Federal Highway Administration, properties must be at least 50 years old in order to be considered for NRHP eligibility. (FHWA) This property is now 96 years old.
Criteria D is the catch-all for this property, as it has the potential to provide serious data for addressing major research questions. The possible privy pit that has been found, in particular, could answer many questions related to the early days of this site, as well as the foundation for the “proving-up” home. Privy pits provide a wealth of information about the past and are vital to archeologists. They tend to contain evidence of artifacts, food remains, botanical evidence, and political statements. They embody “ideas about cleanliness, health, beauty, and privacy, as well as providing data on diet, socioeconomic status, divisions between households, construction methods, and maintenance behavior.” (Anon)
The ”proving-up” foundation, built in 1872, fits into criteria D, A, and possibly C, as it demonstrates building techniques from the very significant era of westward expansion. A proving-up home is a usually basic home that is built by a homesteader to fulfill the requirements of the Homestead Act of 1862. (Public 2018) They were generally simple homes that fulfilled the requirements of the act until a more permanent structure could be built. There were numerous other artifacts found through scattered trash debris that qualify this site for inclusion under criteria D, including hole-in-the-cap cans, an aqua-glass medicine bottle, and a purple/sun-colored amethyst whiskey bottle. All items were produced/used in the late 1800s and early 1900s.
In conclusion, using the seven aspects of integrity, it has been found that the Rogers Homestead, or site 5CO1234, fulfills criteria in all four categories. It is recommended that this site be included in the NRHP
References Cited
Anon.
Jstor.org. https://daily.jstor.org/privies-vaults-of-the-past/, accessed November 12, 2024.
FHWA
Section 106 Tutorial: What is Historic Property? – Introduction. Dot.gov. https://www.environment.fhwa.dot.gov/env_topics/section_106_tutorial/chapter3_2.aspx, accessed November 12, 2024.
Neumann, Thomas W., Robert M. Sanford, and Mary Spink Neumann2022
Practicing archaeology: A manual for cultural resources archaeology. 3rd ed. Rowman & Littlefield, Lanham, MD.
Public, Prairie 2018
Proving up. Prairie Public NewsRoom. https://news.prairiepublic.org/main-street/2018-11-20/proving-up, accessed November 12, 2024.
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