DePue, Grace Blair, House and Indian Museum - Jackson, CA - U.S. National Register of Historic Places on Waymarking.com

"Grace Blair DePue House is a one and a half story home exemplifying residential architecture in California's Mother Lode country. The house faces south from Court Street, is a half block from the Amador County Courthouse and a block from Main Street, Jackson. The Indian Museum Building is directly north of the house on the same parcel. Built in 1872, the house has gained several appearances ove* time. Additions in 1900 added five rooms, front and side porches, and enlarged the kitchen, pantry, and storage area (see Sanborn-Perris Fire Insurance Maps for 1898 and 190?). Alterations in the 1950's resulted in the enclosure of the side porches and interior cosmetic • changes, primarily sheet-rocking over redwood paneled walls and several interior doors. Restoration in 1980 restored Grace Blair DePue House to the 1900 appearance short of reopening the side porches. The Indian Museum Building, built in the 1930's remains as it was. Viewing the house from a southern elevation facing north, the room to the left of the front entrance and the one behind it, the dining room, comprise the original frame residence built in 1872 by Edward Muldoon. At this time the house had an east side and rear porch and an intersecting gabled roof. The gabled two story wing to the right of the front entrance and the front roof dormer window were added in 1900 by the Blair family. The kitchen was enlarged opposite and at the north end of the front entrance hall. Storage and pantry areas were added north, east and west of the kitchen along the entire northern edge of the 1900 property line. A half story room was added over the pantry. The eastern part of the storage area has subsequently been removed. The western storage area was transformed to living area in 1980. Prior to the 1950's, the front porch extended into east and west side porches. Architecturally consistent porch posts and railing were installed in 1980 replacing inconsistent wrought iron railing of the 1950's. Two pairs of French glass doors were relocated in the 1950's and again in 1980 where they now open from the dining room and west wing area onto a side porch. The house is covered by an irregularly shaped shingled roof, a composition of three intersecting gables surrounded by veranda and shed roof areas. Both 1872 and 1900 portions of the house have tongue and groove redwood siding. The second story gable was finished in 1980 with fish-scale shingles of the 1900 period. Double hung windows of the facade and the front entrance door are trimmed with the original shutters. A brick and quarry tile outdoor stairway was added in 1900 'when the street entrance to the house was realigned. Date of origin of the iron gate and coursed masonry wall is unknown although it is aligned to the 1872 residence entrance. Two brick chimneys, one on the east and one on the west are from interior brick fireplaces in the two front rooms. Dominating the front entrance hall is a massive redwood stairway and paneled staircase. A small vertical skylight was added in 1980 at the second floor landing. An original lighting fixture of elaborate detail also hangs in the entrance. This same detail is carried throughout the house on the original interior doors and door and redwood cabinetry hardwood. All the interior floors are soft pine and several of the rooms have original decorative ceiling and baseboard moldings. The Indian Museum Building is on the northeast corner of the Grace Blair DePue property proper on a plot of land originally acquired by Emily Blair from the adjacent Jackson Methodist Church. Grace Blair DePue erected the building in the 1930's to house her extensive collection of Indian artifacts. The Indian Museum Building, now a residence, is a rectangular two story masonry structure with a shed roof of Spanish roof tile. The building has metal casement windows, a Spanish quarry tile floor, and is surrounded by a concrete retaining wall. The landscaping of the Grace Blair DePue House was also restored in 1980. By removing a foot of weedy top soil, a flourishing carpet of dichondra was revived. During this phase of the restoration, an extensive system of water pipes was unearthed. The system, installed by Grace Blair DePue during her ownership of the Jackson Water Works, includes a fire hydrant which through property line changes, is now in the neighbor's yard to the west." (visit link)

Street address: 215 Court St Jackson, CA USA County / Borough / Parish: Amador Year listed: 1982 Historic (Areas of) Significance: Event, Architecture/Engineering Periods of significance: 1900-1924, 1850-1874 Historic function: Domestic, Recreation And Culture Current function: Domestic Privately owned?: yes Primary Web Site: [Web Link] Secondary Website 1: [Web Link] Season start / Season finish: Not listed Hours of operation: Not listed Secondary Website 2: Not listed National Historic Landmark Link: Not listed

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