Franklin B. Hough House

The Franklin B. Hough House is a historic house at 7629 Collins Street in Lowville, New York. Built 1860–61, it was the home of the "father of American forestry," Franklin Hough (1822-1885), a medical doctor, scientist, historian who served as the first chief of the United States Division of Forestry, the predecessor of the United States Forest Service. It was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1963,[2][3] and was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1966.

Franklin B. Hough House
1962 photo
Franklin B. Hough House is located in New York
Franklin B. Hough House
Franklin B. Hough House is located in the United States
Franklin B. Hough House
Location7629 Collins Street, Lowville, New York
Coordinates43°47′18″N 75°30′0″W / 43.78833°N 75.50000°W / 43.78833; -75.50000
Area3.5 acres (1.4 ha)
Built1860 (1860)
Architectural styleItalian Villa
NRHP reference No.66000526
NYSRHP No.04940.000001
Significant dates
Added to NRHPOctober 15, 1966[1]
Designated NHLMay 23, 1963[2]
Designated NYSRHPJune 23, 1980

Description and history

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The Franklin B. Hough House is located in a residential area on the west side of Lowville, on the west side of Collins Street, on a parcel marked by a commemorative plaque. It is set well back from the street, and is approached by a semi-circular drive. It is 2+12 stories in height, built out of brick and covered by a truncated hip roof. At the center of the main roof is a rectangular belvedere, also capped by a hip roof with dentillated cornice. The main facade is five bays wide with a projecting central bay that rises to a gabled peak above the main roof line. Most windows are set in openings topped by heavy segmented-arch hood mouldings.[3]

The house was completed in 1861, and was from 1863 to 1865 home to Franklin Hough. Hough was one of the first people in the nation to articulate significant concern for the state of its forests, observing that forestry products had declined in New York in the 1850s and 1860s. In 1876, he was appointed the first federal government official responsible for overseeing the nation's forests. The organization he established eventually became the United States Forest Service.[3]

Hough's house remained in the family until 1967.[3]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. January 23, 2007.
  2. ^ a b "Franklin Hough House". National Historic Landmark summary listing. National Park Service. September 11, 2007. Archived from the original on June 5, 2011. Retrieved September 13, 2007.
  3. ^ a b c d Richard Greenwood (September 9, 1976). "National Register of Historic Places Inventory-Nomination: Franklin B. Hough House" (pdf). National Park Service. {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)