Dexterville Area

The following information is from the 1986 Nebraska Historic Buildings Survey Preliminary Inventory – prepared by the State Historic Preservation Office of the Nebraska State Historical Society

Architectural Description
Located in the fourth ward of Blair, the Thomas Wilkinson house is considered significant for its brick, one-story plus mansard roof construction. Based on visual comparison with a 1908 historic photo, the house retains much of it’s exterior integrity despite the removal of the tower’s third-story mansard roof. The house consists of an irregular-shaped core with an attached front corner porch and one-story side wing. A one-story enclosed entry porch is also found on the rear or north of the house. The house is believed to have been constructed in 1885 and displays an identical form to the Arndt house (WN02-76) also built in 1885 in Blair’s second ward. The house measures 9.2 m by 8.1 m and is decorated with segmentally arched openings on the first floor, pedimented window hoods on the mansard, and a pressed-metal cornice surrounding the base of the mansard floor. The altered front tower was used to form a striking silhouette and was internally divided into one-story spaces. The floor plan of the house appears to have retained much of it’s original wall division. Access was gained through one of two perpendicular adjacent entryways, the south leading into a front room, and the east into the main living space. The two-story core has just three main rooms, two of which were mentioned above and then a kitchen space located to the north at the back of the house. A side one-story wing contained additional living space and had a separate front entry covered by a non-extant porch.

Historical Summary
Born in England in 1838, Thomas Wilkinson eventually settled in Washington County, Nebraska. Thomas immigrated to the United States in 1864 and initially settled on a farm 7 miles south of Blair. Here, the Wilkinson family had purchased a tract of railroad land and soon began farming there. By 1885, the Wilkinson family decided to move to Blair and build a new home. Their reason for leaving the farm is unknown. In Blair, the Wilkinson’s built a brick mansard-roofed house on Nebraska Street and resided there until 1904 when Hans Lamp took possession.  More recently, Joan Masters (Susan Nielsen’s Mother) owned the house.

Looking West at the corner of 19th & Nebraska Blair, Nebraska. The Hans Lamp house (2006 Nebraska Street) is pictured to the right – Dexter’s Addition, Block 11, Lot 10 (Northwest corner of Nebraska and 21st Streets.) a.k.a. The Thomas Wilkinson House – Original Photo Post Card – Nathan Kramer Collection – Catalog No. RES-0002