Town of Jefferson Historic District

By Bonnie C. Dailey, Jefferson Town Historian

JEFFERSON — On March 12, 2024, NYS’s Dept. of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation (SHPO) approved the nomination of a historic district in the Town of Jefferson to the National and State Registers of Historic Places. The National Register was established in 1966 and is the official list of historic properties worthy of preservation. SHPO coordinates the National Register program in New York State, as well as the companion State Register Program. This designation gives official recognition of our town of Jefferson’s significant history and architecture.

Listing in the National and State Registers will provide potential benefits to residents of the area included in the historic district. Specifically, properties located within the district will be eligible to apply for certain federal or state tax credits and state preservation grants. These include tax credits through the NYS Historic Homeowners Rehabilitation Tax Credit Program, Commercial Rehabilitation Tax Credit programs, and historic preservation grants through New York State and the Preservation League of NYS.

National Register listing does not restrict what private property owners can do with their properties. Only projects that use federal or state funding, or that require state or federal permits, are reviewed by SHPO.

We are honored and proud to have received this nomination in Jefferson, and we hope homeowners, businesses and non-profit organizations located within the historic district will benefit from the designation in the years to come.