The Capt. John Gunnison House is a historic house on Goshen Center Road in
Goshen, New Hampshire
Goshen is a town in Sullivan County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 796 at the 2020 census.
History
Incorporated in 1791, Goshen was first settled in 1768 as a part of Saville (now Sunapee). The name "Goshen" may have been t ...
. Built in 1812, it is one of the town's finer examples of Federal architecture. It was the childhood home and likely birthplace of
John Williams Gunnison
John Williams Gunnison (November 11, 1812 – October 26, 1853) was an American military officer and explorer.
Biography
Gunnison was born in Goshen, New Hampshire, in 1812 and attended Hopkinton Academy in Hopkinton, New Hampshire. He grad ...
, a military officer who led exploratory expeditions in
Colorado
Colorado (, other variants) is a state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It encompasses most of the Southern Rocky Mountains, as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of t ...
. The house was listed on the
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...
in 1979.
Description and history
The Captain John Gunnison House is located in a rural setting of central Goshen, on the north side of Goshen Center Road about east of
New Hampshire Route 31. It is a two-story wood-frame structure, with a hip roof and clapboarded exterior. Its main facade has five bays, with the door centered, with flanking sidelight windows and a false fanlight above. A single-story porch extends across the center three bays, supported by round columns. Two interior chimneys rise behind the main roof ridge, and only one of its original four fireplaces survives. The interior includes a number of 19th-century features, including stencilwork and feather painting.
[
The house was built in 1812 on an parcel that was one of the first to be granted in the town, to Samuel Gunnison. Explorer ]John Williams Gunnison
John Williams Gunnison (November 11, 1812 – October 26, 1853) was an American military officer and explorer.
Biography
Gunnison was born in Goshen, New Hampshire, in 1812 and attended Hopkinton Academy in Hopkinton, New Hampshire. He grad ...
was born in 1812, so this may have been the place of his birth. Gunnison was killed by Native Americans in 1853 during an exploratory expedition in what is now Utah
Utah ( , ) is a state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. Utah is a landlocked U.S. state bordered to its east by Colorado, to its northeast by Wyoming, to its north by Idaho, to its south by Arizona, and to it ...
. Geographic features in Colorado
Colorado (, other variants) is a state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It encompasses most of the Southern Rocky Mountains, as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of t ...
, where he also led expeditions, bear his name. The house was sold out of the Gunnison family by 1890.
See also
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References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Gunnison, John, Capt., House
Houses on the National Register of Historic Places in New Hampshire
Federal architecture in New Hampshire
Houses completed in 1812
Houses in Goshen, New Hampshire
National Register of Historic Places in Sullivan County, New Hampshire
1812 establishments in New Hampshire