{"nrhp_refnum":"07001488","name":"Drake, Frances H. and Jonathan, House","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"21 Franklin St.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Leominster","county":"Worcester County","state":"MA","lat":42.52192414600006,"lon":-71.76129768699997,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"2008-01-29","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Architecture","Politics/Government","Social History"],"significance_levels":["state"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A 1½-story, front-gable wood-frame workers' cottage at 21 Franklin Street in Leominster, Worcester County, Massachusetts, built in 1848 for Jonathan and Frances H. Drake in a working-class neighborhood near Monoosnoc Brook.","why_significant":"The house is tied to abolitionists Frances and Jonathan Drake and to the 1851 escape of fugitive Shadrach Minkins, who was brought to the Drake home after being freed in Boston. It is also an example of a modest Greek Revival workers' cottage, with a plan reflecting progressive domestic design. A trap door in the parlor floor, built with the original floor, is described as possibly linked to sheltering fugitives.","narrative":"Built in 1848 at 21 Franklin Street in Leominster, this small front-gable cottage was the home of abolitionists Jonathan and Frances H. Drake. It sits in a working-class neighborhood close to Monoosnoc Brook, where mills once operated. The 1½-story wood-frame house has a granite foundation, a three-bay front with sidelights at the entrance, and wide gable trim that suggests a Greek pediment. Its irregular interior plan shows the influence of mid-century domestic reformers on modest homes. Later changes include asbestos cement shingles, larger dormers, and an early 1900s porch. The house is best known for its connection to Shadrach Minkins. After federal marshals seized him in Boston in 1851 under the Fugitive Slave Act, he was rescued and carried through Concord to the Drakes' Leominster home. Frances Drake's antislavery work and the parlor trap door, built with the original floor, add to its significance. A one-mile-area archaeological review found no Underground Railroad features on the lot.","period_of_significance":"1848-1865","architect_builder":null,"architectural_style":"Mid 19th Century: Greek Revival","criteria":["A","B","C"],"status_note":"Currently used as a single dwelling; a later concrete block garage is non-contributing.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:13:04.184086-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/7/7932/63793207/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_MA/07001488.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/07001488/cb60f8ab35-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/07001488/cb60f8ab35-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY 3.0","author":"John Phelan","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Frances_H._and_Jonathan_Drake_House,_Leominster_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:Frances_H._and_Jonathan_Drake_House,_Leominster_MA.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/63793207","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frances_H._and_Jonathan_Drake_House","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q5478689"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/massachusetts/worcester-county/drake-frances-h-and-jonathan-house-07001488/"}