{"nrhp_refnum":"00001036","name":"Sawyer Homestead","other_names":["Mary Sawyer's House","Mary's Little Lamb House"],"category":"building","location":{"address":"108 Maple St.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Sterling","county":"Worcester County","state":"MA","lat":42.427833047000036,"lon":-71.7280102134831,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"2000-09-13","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Architecture","Literature","Social History"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A one-and-a-half-story timberframe farmhouse with a rear ell and a small L-shaped outbuilding at 108 Maple Street, Sterling, Massachusetts, first built in 1756 and expanded over the 19th century. It sits on a 0.33-acre lot, and a 25.32-acre parcel across Rugg Road is also included.","why_significant":"The nomination argues the house is one of the least altered examples in Sterling of a modest 18th-19th century farmhouse, with a Square Plan core and later additions that show changing New England living patterns. It is also tied to Mary Sawyer, born in 1806 and linked to the \"Mary's Little Lamb\" story, and to the Sawyer family's long occupation. Literature and social history are cited as areas of significance.","narrative":"Located on a small triangular lot in Sterling, Massachusetts, this modest farmhouse began in 1756 as a one-story Square Plan dwelling with three rooms around an off-center chimney. Over time it gained an eastern addition, a raised roof forming a half-story with bedrooms, and a mid-19th century rear ell holding a new kitchen, work room and pantry. Plain trim, six-over-nine windows and early interior woodwork survive, and the 20th century brought few changes. The Sawyer family lived here from the mid-18th century, and Mary Sawyer, born in 1806, is associated with the \"Mary's Little Lamb\" story. The nomination presents the house as one of Sterling's least altered small farmhouses, a type that survives less often than larger homes of wealthier families. A parcel across Rugg Road, once the barn site, is included. The property has been unoccupied since 1989 and shows decay, and archaeological potential is considered high.","period_of_significance":"1756-1950","architect_builder":null,"architectural_style":"Colonial, Early Republic, Mid 19th Century","criteria":["A","B","C"],"status_note":"Unoccupied since 1989; the house is largely intact but has suffered weathering, leaking roofs and structural failure in places, and the outbuilding is in a desperate state with a broken roof and listing walls.","vacant_flag":true,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:13:04.007019-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/50/7974/63797450/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_MA/00001036.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/00001036/fa0b58f771-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/00001036/fa0b58f771-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY 3.0","author":"John Phelan","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:A_reconstruction_of_the_Sawyer_Homestead,_Sterling_MA.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">John Phelan</a>, <a href=\"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0\" rel=\"license noopener\">CC BY 3.0</a>, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:A_reconstruction_of_the_Sawyer_Homestead,_Sterling_MA.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/63797450","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sawyer_Homestead_(Sterling,_Massachusetts)","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q7428736"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/massachusetts/worcester-county/sawyer-homestead-00001036/"}