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Photograph of James S. Thompson House
Photograph by Josys36, CC BY-SA 3.0. Via Wikimedia Commons.

James S. Thompson House

Listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2002.

From the record

“Thompson House is a historical home located just outside New Boston, in Mercer County, Illinois. The house and four contributing outbuildings were added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2002.”

Wikipedia article James S. Thompson House, CC BY-SA 4.0.

One of 12 National Register listings published here for Mercer County · listed in 2002 · category: Building.

Sources: the Wikipedia article · the case file at the National Archives · the National Register database, National Park Service

The listing

  • What is counted as historic. The nomination lists 5 buildingss as contributing to the listing.
  • Listed as. Thompson, James S., House - the National Register files a house under its owner's surname.
  • Address. 804 North St., New Boston, 61272
  • When was it listed? December 2002
  • Category. building
  • Township. New Boston township
  • National Register reference number. 02000846 - the number the National Park Service assigned this property when it was listed, and the key its nomination file is catalogued under at the National Archives.

What happened here

An account from the chapter on New Boston township. The inset identifies its exact source book and publication year.

From History of Mercer County : Together with Biographical Matter, Statistics, Etc., Gathered from Mattter Furnished by the Mercer County Historical Society, Interviews with Old Settlers, County, Township and Other Records, and Extracts from Files of Papers, Pamphlets, and Such Other Sources As Have Been Available : Containing Also a Short History of Henderson County, published 1882 - New Boston Township

Iay Island Lilie

In 1 88 1 during the flood Bay Island was seriously damaged. William Drury of this township owned a large park, in which he kept elk, deer and buffalo. On one occasion an elk killed one of his valuable colts, estimated to be worth about five hundred dollars. Ballard's Hall was finished and ready for use in December, 1 88 1 .

Read the rest of this passage

The ground it stands on

85,538 words

The chapter on New Boston Township in History of Mercer County : Together with Biographical Matter, Statistics, Etc., Gathered from Mattter Furnished by the Mercer County Historical Society, Interviews with Old Settlers, County, Township and Other Records, and Extracts from Files of Papers, Pamphlets, and Such Other Sources As Have Been Available : Containing Also a Short History of Henderson County, published 1882 names New Boston. This is what it says, exactly as the scans read.

Tlie township of New Boston embraces congressional to-^aiship 14 north, and ranges 5 and 6 west, extending to the Mississippi river. The eastern part is undulating and contains a depth and richness of soil unexcelled in the county. The westeiTi part of the township is level, containing a narrow strip of sandy soil, in some places almost destitute of vegetation ; between this strip and the undulating region of the east the bottom land is extremely fertile and })roduces heavy crops.

Passage source: History of Mercer County : Together with Biographical Matter, Statistics, Etc., Gathered from Mattter Furnished by the Mercer County Historical Society, Interviews with Old Settlers, County, Township and Other Records, and Extracts from Files of Papers, Pamphlets, and Such Other Sources As Have Been Available : Containing Also a Short History of Henderson County, published 1882.

The township has a somewhat interesting railroad history, to which we shall refer more fully farther on. The Galva and Keithsburg branch of the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy enters the township on section 2-i and takes a diagonal course to the to\vn of New Boston, a branch running to Keithsburg from a point on section 27, thereby giving a southern outlet and southern connections.

Passage source: History of Mercer County : Together with Biographical Matter, Statistics, Etc., Gathered from Mattter Furnished by the Mercer County Historical Society, Interviews with Old Settlers, County, Township and Other Records, and Extracts from Files of Papers, Pamphlets, and Such Other Sources As Have Been Available : Containing Also a Short History of Henderson County, published 1882.

Machine-read from a century-old scan, so expect the errors a machine makes: misspelled names, dropped words, stray characters.

Read the whole chapter on New Boston Township - 85,538 words on its settlement, mills, schools and churches.

Fires near this property

3 since 2013

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal wildfire occurrence database lists 3 fires within 5 miles of James S. Thompson House between 2013 and 2016, burning under an acre in total. None started naturally. None was recorded as arson. Distance is straight-line from the map coordinates, so a fire counted here may appear on a neighbouring settlement's page as well.

Reported cause Fires
Recreation and ceremony3

The most recent of them, most recent first, with the day each was reported and the service that recorded it.

DateCause SizeReported by Name on the report
1 July 2016Recreation and ceremonyunder an acrePort Louisa National Wildlife RefugeSPRING SLOUGH
7 December 2014Recreation and ceremonyunder an acrePort Louisa National Wildlife RefugeKSB CAMPFIRE
8 November 2013Recreation and ceremonyunder an acrePort Louisa National Wildlife RefugeKSB NATURAL OUT 2

Every fire recorded in Mercer County

Mines and quarries near this property

1 within 5 miles

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal mineral resources record lists 1 working within 5 miles of James S. Thompson House: 1 occurrence. None of them still produces. What was taken out: Stone, Crushed/Broken. Distance is straight-line from the map coordinates, so a quarry counted here may appear on a neighbouring settlement's page as well.

Where SiteCommodity StatusRecorded
Limestone ProspectStone, Crushed/BrokenOccurrence

Every working recorded in Mercer County

Storms near this property

38 since 1998

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The National Weather Service names New Boston, the town this property stands in, in 38 storm reports between 1998 and 2026: 17 flood, 11 hail, 5 thunderstorm wind, 4 tornado. No death or injury is recorded in these reports. Each account below is quoted exactly as the forecast office filed it, from the NOAA Storm Events Database, and each date opens the federal record of that event.

WhenEvent Place namedHarm What the report says
April 2003HailNew Boston$500,000no account filed
April 2003HailNew Boston$500,000no account filed
April 2003HailNew Boston$150,000no account filed
September 2016FloodNew Boston$100,000Heavy rainfall of 4 to over 10 inches over significant areas from 21 to 23 September in extreme North Central and Northeast Iowa moved downstream causing the Mississippi River to rise above major flood stage levels. ||Keithsburg rose above its major flood stage level of 17.0 feet on September 30th, 2016 around 10 AM CST. It crested around 17.8 feet on October 2nd, 2016. It fell below major flood stage on October 4th around 4 AM CST.
September 2016FloodNew Boston$100,000Heavy rainfall of 4 to over 10 inches over significant areas from 21 to 23 September in extreme North Central and Northeast Iowa moved downstream causing the Mississippi River to rise above major flood stage levels. ||New Boston rose above its major flood stage level of 18.5 feet on September 30th, 2016. It crested around 19.23 feet at approximately 1 PM CDT on October 2nd, 2016.|It fell below major flood stage on October 4th around 6 pm CST.
May 2003Tornado (F0)New Boston$100,000no account filed
June 1998Tornado (F1)New Boston$5,000no account filed
August 2003HailNew Boston$3,000no account filed
April 2026Thunderstorm WindNew Boston-Multiple downed tree branches, up to 3 inches in diameter. Porta-potty blown over. The time was estimated from radar data.
June 2025Tornado (EF1)New Boston-This EF1 tornado with peak estimated wind speed of 100 MPH developed over New Boston and persisted for a short time after departing town to the northeast. Concentrated damage in town included a roof blown off a downtown masonry building and numerous trees uprooted or snapped.
April 2025Tornado (EF0)New Boston-This short-lived EF-0 tornado brought tree damage, including a large uprooted tree, and a small outbuilding damaged. The peak estimated winds were 85 mph.
July 2024FloodNew Boston-The Mississippi River at New Boston rose above its major flood stage of 18.5 feet around 5 PM on July 2 and crested at 20.82 feet on July 11th. The river fell back below flood stage 3 Pm on July 20th.
July 2024Thunderstorm WindNew Boston-A public report of a a large section of a tree snapped off and fell on a car.
April 2023FloodNew Boston-The Mississippi River at New Boston rose above its major flood stage of 18.5 feet during the early morning hours of April 26th, The river continued to rise to 20.6 feet late in the day on April 30th.|The Mississippi River at Keithsburg rose above its major flood stage of 17.0 feet during the early morning hours of April 26th and continued to rise to 18.88 feet by the end of the month.
July 2022Thunderstorm WindNew Boston-Law enforcement passed along a report of trees down along 76th Street. The time of the event was estimated using radar.
August 2021Thunderstorm WindNew Boston-Roof damaged and power is out.
March 2019FloodNew Boston-Heavy rain and snow melt across the region caused the Mississippi River at Lock and Dam 16 near Illinois City to to rise above major flood stage of 18 feet on March 22nd. The Mississippi River at Keithsburg rose above major flood stage on the same day and remained there through the end of the month. The river remained above major flood stage through the end of the month. The river crested around 20.8 feet during the early morning hours of the 24th, into the early morning hours of the 25th.
May 2019FloodNew Boston-The Mississippi River at New Boston Lock and Dam 17 began the month above its major flood stage of 18.5 feet. The river stage at the beginning of the month was 22.39 feet. The river would rise to a crest of 23.59 feet beginning on May 3rd. This crest is preliminary the 4th highest crest. The river fell below major flood stage around 1 AM on May 14th.
May 2019FloodNew Boston-The Mississippi River at Keithsburg (KHBI2) began the month above its major flood stage of 17 feet. The river stage at the beginning of the month was 20.6 feet. The river would rise to a crest of 21.97 feet May 3rd. This crest is preliminary the 4th highest crest. The river fell below major flood stage around the morning of May 14th.
May 2019FloodNew Boston-The Mississippi River at New Boston Lock and Dam 17 hovered near major flood stage from around May 21st to the 24th, then rose above its major flood stage of 18.5 feet during the morning of May 25th and continued into June. The river crested in June, with the stage rising to 24.1 feet at the end of May 31st.
April 2019FloodNew Boston-River levels continued to run high during the month of April. Heavy rain across the area caused the Mississippi River at New Boston, Illinois to rise above its major flood stage of 18.5 feet early in the evening of the 25th, and the rise continued through the end of the month.
July 2017Thunderstorm WindNew Boston-Local law enforcement reported a tree was down.
October 2016FloodNew Boston-Heavy rainfall of 4 to over 10 inches over significant areas from 21 to 23 September in extreme North Central and Northeast Iowa moved downstream|causing the Mississippi River to rise above major flood stage levels.|Keithsburg rose above its major flood stage level of 17.0 feet on September 30th, 2016 around 10 AM CST. It crested around 17.8 feet on October 2nd,|2016. It fell below major flood stage on October 4th around 4 AM CST. For damage information please see September Storm Data.
April 2014HailNew Boston-A public report of quarter to golf ball sized hail that lasted for 10 minutes. This report was delayed.
June 2013FloodNew Boston-Heavy rain across the region late in the month of May led to rises along the Mississippi River above major flood stage at New Boston and Keithsburg. The Mississippi River at New Boston rose above the major flood stage of 18.5 feet during the early afternoon of the 2nd and fell below 18.5 feet late in the day of the 9th. The Mississippi River at Keithsburg rose above the major flood stage of 17 feet during the afternoon of the 2nd and fell below 17 feet early in the morning of the 10th.
June 2013FloodNew Boston-Heavy rains farther to the north during the last two of June led to rises on the Mississippi River to above major flood stage at both New Boston and Keithsburg. Both New Boston and Keithsburg rose above their major flood stages of 18.5 feet and 17 feet respectively during the early morning hours of the 28th and remained there through the end of the month.
April 2010HailNew Boston-Non-severe hail (<1.0) fell in New Boston, IL around 615 pm April 4.
October 2010FloodNew Boston-The river rose above flood stage at New Boston LD17 on October 2 at 806 pm cst and fell below flood stage on October 14 at 300 am cst. Moderate flooding occurred with the crest reaching 17.02 feet on October 7 at 700 am cst. Flood stage is 15 feet.
May 2008FloodNew Boston-The Mississippi River at New Boston was over its major flood stage level from 12:00 am May 1 until 1:00 pm May 7.
May 2008FloodNew Boston-The Mississippi River at Keithsburg was over its major flood stage level from 12:00 am May 1 until 10:00 am May 8.
June 2008HailNew Boston-Nickel-sized hail fell in New Boston, IL at 7:40 pm June 12.
June 2007HailNew Boston-Nickel size hail covered the ground.
May 2001FloodNew Boston-Heavy rain of near 3 inches brought Edwards river out of it's bank near New Boston.
March 2016HailNew Boston-no account filed
April 2013HailNew Boston-no account filed
April 2008FloodNew Boston-no account filed
April 2003HailNew Boston-no account filed
July 2003Funnel CloudNew Boston-no account filed

Every storm recorded in Mercer County

Map coverage status

No historic map-sheet match is published for this property yet. That does not mean no map exists. This record needs a coordinate-quality review before it can be joined to a sheet boundary. Browse the county's mapped places while that work is pending.

Listed places nearby

6 within 8 miles

Other National Register properties close enough to walk or drive between, ordered by distance from this one. Both positions come from the same geocoding pass that matched these properties to their map sheets.

Photograph PropertyDistance Listed
Gideon Ives House0.5 miles2000
Levi Willits House0.6 miles1995
Verdurette1.9 miles2021
Lock and Dam No. 17 Historic District3.5 miles2004
Commercial House5.5 miles1983
Keithsburg Historic District5.9 miles1986

Sources for this property

National Archives recordThe nomination case file for reference 02000846 in Record Group 79.
Wikipedia articleCommunity-written account of this property, licensed CC BY-SA.
Mercer CountyAll 12 listed properties in this county.

Provenance

  • Listing record. National Park Service National Register of Historic Places, listed-properties dataset, current to 2026-05-22.
  • Map join. Address geocoded through the United States Census geocoder, then tested against the published boundary of every sheet in the USGS Historical Topographic Map Collection.
  • How this page is made. Listing fields come from federal records; map-sheet coverage is a labelled coordinate-to-boundary calculation, not a source-field claim.
  • Wildfire. Short, Karen C. 2022. Spatial wildfire occurrence data for the United States, 1992-2020 [FPA_FOD_20221014]. 6th Edition. Fort Collins, CO: Forest Service Research Data Archive. https://doi.org/10.2737/RDS-2013-0009.6 Collected with United States Government funding and usable without additional permissions or fees.
  • Mines and quarries. USGS Mineral Resources Data System (MRDS) https://mrdata.usgs.gov/mrds/ A work of the United States government, no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105.
  • Storms. NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/stormevents/ A work of the United States government, no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105. Narratives are quoted verbatim from the National Weather Service report and are not edited or summarised.