Jones House

Built in 1858 (Gothic Revival). Listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1978.

From the record

“The Jones House is a historic brick home in the Illinois city of Pontiac. National Register of Historic Places and is the second oldest brick house in Pontiac.”
Wikipedia article Jones House (Pontiac, Illinois), CC BY-SA 4.0.

One of 15 National Register listings published here for Livingston County · listed in 1978 · category: Building · built in 1858, Gothic Revival.

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

The listing

What is counted as historic. The nomination lists 1 building as contributing to the listing.
Address. 314 E. Madison St., Pontiac, 61764
When was it listed? May 1978
Category. building
Township. Pontiac township
When was it built? 1858
Architectural style. Gothic Revival
National Register reference number. 78001163 - 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.

The ground it stands on

10,896 words

The chapter on Pontiac Township in The History of Livingston County, Illinois : Containing a History of the County, Its Cities, Towns, &c. .., published 1878 names Pontiac. This is what it says, exactly as the scans read.

The village of Pontiac was incorporated under the general law of the State, February 12,^ 1856, by the election of a Board of Trustees, consisting of Nelson Buck, J. W. Strevelle, S. C. Ladd, Z. H. Nettleton and H. Jones - the first named being chosen Chairman or President.

Passage source: The History of Livingston County, Illinois : Containing a History of the County, Its Cities, Towns, &c. .., published 1878.

On the 11th of September, 1872, the city of Pontiac was organized under the new law, by the election of R. W. Babcock as first Mayor ; F. C. Brown, W. H. Clelland, Martin Dolde, L. E. Kent. William Perry and Charles Gross as Aldermen : and A. W. Cowan as Clerk.

Passage source: The History of Livingston County, Illinois : Containing a History of the County, Its Cities, Towns, &c. .., published 1878.

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 Pontiac Township - 10,896 words on its settlement, mills, schools and churches.

Fires near this property

1 since 2010

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal wildfire occurrence database lists 1 fire within 5 miles of Jones House in 2010, burning about 35 acres 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
Missing data/not specified/undetermined	1

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

Date	Cause	Size	Reported by	Name on the report
13 September 2010	Missing data/not specified/undetermined	35 acres	Illinois Division of Forestry Resources	PONTIAC

Every fire recorded in Livingston County

Mines and quarries near this property

3 within 5 miles

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal mineral resources record lists 3 workings within 5 miles of Jones House: 2 past producers, 1 producer. 1 still produces. What was taken out: Stone, Crushed/Broken, Stone. Distance is straight-line from the map coordinates, so a quarry counted here may appear on a neighbouring settlement's page as well.

Site	Commodity	Status
Livingston Hwy. Pit	Stone	Past Producer
Pontiac Portable Plant	Stone, Crushed/Broken	Producer
Raube Quarry	Stone, Crushed/Broken	Past Producer

Every working recorded in Livingston County

Storms near this property

60 of 62 shown

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The National Weather Service names Pontiac, the town this property stands in, in 62 storm reports between 1996 and 2025: 36 thunderstorm wind, 12 hail, 5 flash flood, 3 tornado. The reports record 1 injury. 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.

When	Event	Place named	Harm	What the report says
May 2006	Thunderstorm Wind	Pontiac	1 hurt, $25,000	A semi tractor trailer was blown over on Interstate 55 near Route 116. The driver needed to be cut out of the truck and was taken to the hospital.
June 2010	Thunderstorm Wind	Pontiac	$10,000	Wind gusts were estimated as high as 80 mph. Multiple tree limbs and power lines were blown down. One tree limb fell onto a house on Timber Street causing damage to the roof.
August 2008	Thunderstorm Wind	Pontiac	$3,000	Several tree limbs and power lines were blown down.
May 2013	Thunderstorm Wind	Pontiac	$1,000	Several large trees and power lines were blown down.
June 2011	Thunderstorm Wind	Pontiac	$1,000	Tree limbs and power lines were blown down.
May 2006	Thunderstorm Wind	Pontiac	$1,000	A building and trees were damaged.
August 2014	Lightning	Pontiac	$500	Lightning struck a utility pole which caught fire.
July 2025	Funnel Cloud	Pontiac	-	A funnel cloud was reported halfway to the ground.
December 2025	Thunderstorm Wind	Pontiac	-	A large tree limb was blown down onto North Mill Street.
December 2025	Tornado (EF1)	Pontiac	-	A tornado with peak winds of 90 mph touched down just south of 4H Park Road on the northwest side of Pontiac and immediately moved northeast across the Motorola and Vermillion Estates Subdivisions. The tornado caused roofing and siding damage to a number of houses, apartments and manufactured homes. Two houses had large portions of roofing blown off, leave the attics exposed. The tornado crossed Route 23 and produced additional siding and fascia damage to a few manufactured homes in the Redwood mobile home park before ending north of E 1830 North Road. The tornado also damaged several trees along its path.
June 2024	Thunderstorm Wind	Pontiac	-	A 911 dispatch center reported power lines down, damage to trees, and a downed street lamp in Pontiac.
August 2022	Thunderstorm Wind	Pontiac	-	A tree was snapped.
August 2022	Thunderstorm Wind	Pontiac	-	A utility pole and power lines were blown down blocking roads.
July 2022	Thunderstorm Wind	Pontiac	-	Trees, tree limbs and power lines were blown down in Pontiac. Some trees were uprooted, including 8 trees in Chatauqua Park. At least one car was damaged by a falling tree limb. Several trees were blown down along East Indiana Avenue.
September 2022	Thunderstorm Wind	Pontiac	-	A large pine tree was blown down.
June 2021	Thunderstorm Wind	Pontiac	-	Roofing panels were blown off a lumber company building.
May 2020	Thunderstorm Wind	Pontiac	-	Trees and power lines were blown down in and around the Pontiac area.
July 2020	Thunderstorm Wind	Pontiac	-	Multiple reports of trees blown down in Pontiac were received.
July 2020	Thunderstorm Wind	Pontiac	-	A large tree was blown down which knocked down power lines.
June 2019	Thunderstorm Wind	Pontiac	-	Numerous power lines were blown down throughout Pontiac.
July 2019	Thunderstorm Wind	Pontiac	-	One large tree and several large tree limbs were blown down.
September 2019	Flood	Pontiac	-	A few roadways were barricaded due to standing water in Pontiac.
May 2018	Thunderstorm Wind	Pontiac	-	A few tree limbs were blown down, one on a car.
March 2017	Hail	Pontiac	-	Three reports of nickel to quarter size hail came in from Pontiac.
August 2016	Flood	Pontiac	-	Heavy rain caused road closures at Moulton and Court St in Pontiac, IL.
June 2015	Flash Flood	Pontiac	-	Two to three feet of water was flowing down Division street near Lowell Avenue.
August 2014	Thunderstorm Wind	Pontiac	-	A tree was blown down on Route 116.
May 2013	Thunderstorm Wind	Pontiac	-	Trees were reported snapped.
May 2011	Hail	Pontiac	-	Nickel to quarter size hail was reported in Pontiac.
June 2011	Thunderstorm Wind	Pontiac	-	A wind gust to 71 mph was measured in Pontiac. Several tree limbs were blown down, some onto power lines.
June 2010	Thunderstorm Wind	Pontiac	-	A barn was blown off of its foundation.
June 2010	Thunderstorm Wind	Pontiac	-	A 10 inch diameter tree limb fell on a roof of a house. Wind gusted to 65 mph.
August 2009	Heavy Rain	Pontiac	-	Rainfall of 3.00 inches was reported in the past 12 hours.
July 2007	Flash Flood	Pontiac	-	Water flowing across Route 116.
July 2007	Flash Flood	Pontiac	-	Water covering roadways. Pontiac measured 4.35 inches of rain.
July 2007	Flash Flood	Pontiac	-	Water covering roadways.
March 2007	Flood	Pontiac	-	Roads closed countywide due to high water. Chatsworth measured 3.12 inches of rainfall and Fairbury measured 2.36 inches of rainfall.
May 2006	Thunderstorm Wind	Pontiac	-	A gust to 59 mph was measured at the Pontiac Airport.
October 2006	Thunderstorm Wind	Pontiac	-	Trees and power lines were blown down.
May 2004	Thunderstorm Wind	Pontiac	-	Trees were uprooted.
May 2004	Tornado (F2)	Pontiac	-	A tornado moved into Livingston County from McLean County, 1.7 miles northwest of Chenoa. A farm house was unroofed and a double-wide mobile home, outbuildings and grain bins were destroyed. The tornado ended 8 miles southwest of Pontiac or 2.5 miles southwest of Ocoya. At its strongest point, the tornado was 240 yards wide, with wind speeds between 130 and 140 mph. For additional information on this tornado, see Storm Data for ILLINOIS, Central.
May 2004	Thunderstorm Wind	Pontiac	-	Trees were blown down on Route 116 east of Lafayette Street, and trees were down in various location in Pontiac.
May 2004	Tornado (F1)	Pontiac	-	This event was a series of short tornado segments south of Pontiac. It began 8 miles southwest of Pontiac near County Roads 1400 North and 900 East. A barn roof was torn off and a large tree was snapped near 1000 East. Trees and limbs were blown down and farm outbuildings were damaged along County Road 1400 North. The damage ended at Pike Creek about one half mile west of 1200 East, where doors of a shed were blown out. Additional damage began just east of Interstate 55, north of County Road 1400 North. Trees and limbs were down at County Road 1325 East and near a nursing home on Old Route 66. Damage occurred again near County Road 1700 East, north of County Road 1400 North, where a house had roof damage and trees were blown down. Tree limbs were damaged on County Roads 1775 East and 1800 East. The most intense damage was on Billet Rd., about 1/2 mile north of County Road 1400 North, near the Vermillion River. About 1 dozen large trees were snapped in this area. The damage path was up to 50 yards wide at this point and the tornado was rated F1. The damage ended near County Roads 2000 East and 1500 North, where an old barn was blown down. This is 5 miles southeast of Pontiac. The total path was 12 miles.
September 2003	Hail	Pontiac	-	Quarter size hail covered the ground.
June 1999	Thunderstorm Wind	Pontiac	-	Trees were blown down.
May 2020	Hail	Pontiac	-	no account filed
April 2017	Hail	Pontiac	-	no account filed
June 2016	Thunderstorm Wind	Pontiac	-	no account filed
August 2014	Hail	Pontiac	-	no account filed
June 2013	Thunderstorm Wind	Pontiac	-	no account filed
August 2012	Hail	Pontiac	-	no account filed
May 2011	Thunderstorm Wind	Pontiac	-	no account filed
August 2009	Thunderstorm Wind	Pontiac	-	no account filed
July 2009	Thunderstorm Wind	Pontiac	-	no account filed
June 2006	Hail	Pontiac	-	no account filed
May 2003	Hail	Pontiac	-	no account filed
May 2003	Hail	Pontiac	-	no account filed
June 2001	Flash Flood	Pontiac	-	no account filed
October 2001	Thunderstorm Wind	Pontiac	-	no account filed
September 2000	Hail	Pontiac	-	no account filed

Every storm recorded in Livingston 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

5 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.

Property	Distance	Listed
Livingston County Courthouse	0.2 miles	1986
Pontiac City Hall and Fire Station	0.2 miles	1990
Strevell House	0.4 miles	2023
Illinois State Police Office, Pontiac	2.4 miles	2007
Raymond Schultz Round Barn	2.8 miles	1982

Sources for this property

National Archives record	The nomination case file for reference 78001163 in Record Group 79.
Wikipedia article	Community-written account of this property, licensed CC BY-SA.
Livingston County	All 15 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.