FAIRBURY - When one drives or walks by the John C. Kesterson House on 4th Street in Fairbury, it’s easy to see it’s crawling with history. It's even more obvious when you go inside.

The John C. Kesterson House was built by and named after a successful horse-breeder, freighter and businessman in 1879. It’s currently owned by Jonni Hemphill and her husband, Josh. The couple has lived in the home for about two years.

"I fell in love with it the moment I saw it," Jonni said. "I don't always believe you choose a house. Sometimes, I think, the house chooses you."

History Nebraska announced in December that the home had officially been listed on the National Register of Historic Places. David Calease, History Nebraska's National Register of Historic Places Coordinator, notes the home’s Italianate architecture, which was very popular among prominent early settlers of Nebraska towns in the 19th century.

"We investigated the architectural style," Calease said. "That's what this property is nominated and listed for. (The process) begins with reaching out to our office, and we are happy to assist somebody with the preparation of a nomination."

The home retains an exceptional degree of integrity with minimal alterations through the years. It retains most of its historic materials, including all of the original windows. It also has many unique details, like the cast-iron gargoyles out front.

The Hemphills will soon have the home looking even more like it did when it was first built.

"I'm going to try and keep the original look as much as I can," Jonni said. "I'm going to strip all of the paint off the trim and expose the original woodwork."

There's also plans to take out all of the existing carpet to expose the original one-inch, oak floorboards.

The National Register of Historic Places is the nation's inventory of properties deemed worthy of preservation. It's part of a national program to coordinate and support local and private efforts to identify, evaluate and protect the nation's historic and archaeological resources. The Hemphills are glad they could help protect a piece of state history.

"This house will always be protected," Jonni said, "even if something happened to us, and we don't sell it to someone who doesn't want to keep it on the Registry. It will always be protected on the local level. It can never be torn down, or have walls torn out or anything like that."

You can follow Tommy on Twitter @Tommy_NCN.