{"nrhp_refnum":"02000432","name":"Hosmer, Jonathan and Simon, House","other_names":["Tuttle, Francis, House","Twin Chestnut Farm"],"category":"building","location":{"address":"300 Main St.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Acton","county":"Middlesex County","state":"MA","lat":42.47675247300003,"lon":-71.45129550999997,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"2002-05-02","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Architecture","Community Planning and Development"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A double farmhouse at 300 Main Street in Acton, Middlesex County, Massachusetts, made up of two side-by-side houses built in 1760 and 1796-97 for Jonathan Hosmer, Jr. and his son Simon, with a few outbuildings on a 2.7-acre lot.","why_significant":"The nomination argues the house is an outstanding, well-preserved double farmhouse of the late 18th century, and the best-preserved of Acton's three intact Colonial saltboxes. It combines two different 18th-century plans, a direct-entry square plan and a half-house, which is unique in town. It is also tied to the Hosmer family's role in Acton's farming community and the development around Kelley's Corner.","narrative":"Standing on a slight rise at Kelley's Corner in Acton, this long 2 1/2-story double farmhouse joins two homes built a generation apart. The eastern half was raised in 1760 for Jonathan Hosmer, Jr., a farmer, bricklayer and mason who apparently built it himself. The western half was added in 1796-97 for his son Simon. The two sections use different plans: the older has a rare direct-entry square plan with corner fireplaces, while the newer is a two-room half-house. Eight fireplaces, each different, reflect Jonathan's masonry skill, and an attic wall still carries red paint imitating brick. Late-Georgian doorways and a rear leanto give it the form of a saltbox. After the Hosmers, Francis Tuttle, a local politician, owned the farm from 1846. A 1972 fire damaged the rear, which was rebuilt in the 1970s. The property is significant for its architecture and its link to Acton's farming history and later development.","period_of_significance":"1760-1951","architect_builder":"Jonathan Hosmer (mason and builder)","architectural_style":"Colonial: Georgian","criteria":["A","C"],"status_note":"Now used as a museum and library, with the property owned by the local historical society. Restoration work was done in the 1970s after a 1972 fire damaged the rear.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:13:03.642787-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/48/7957/63795748/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_MA/02000432.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/02000432/9e62b5eda8-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/02000432/9e62b5eda8-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 4.0","author":"John Phelan","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Jonathan_and_Simon_Hosmer_House,_November_2016,_Acton_MA.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">John Phelan</a>, <a href=\"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0\" rel=\"license noopener\">CC BY-SA 4.0</a>, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Jonathan_and_Simon_Hosmer_House,_November_2016,_Acton_MA.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/63795748","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jonathan_and_Simon_Hosmer_House","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q6274904"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/massachusetts/middlesex-county/hosmer-jonathan-and-simon-house-02000432/"}