{"nrhp_refnum":"66000126","name":"Melville, Herman, House","other_names":["Arrowhead"],"category":"building","location":{"address":"Holmes Rd.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Pittsfield","county":"Berkshire County","state":"MA","lat":42.417213590000046,"lon":-73.25071771886616,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1966-10-15","is_nhl":true,"nhl_designated_date":"1962-12-29","areas_of_significance":["Literature"],"significance_levels":["national"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"\"Arrowhead\" is a 2½-story frame and clapboard farmhouse at 780 Holmes Road, Pittsfield, Massachusetts. Its original front section was built in the 1780s by Captain David Bush, and it later became the home of author Herman Melville.","why_significant":"Herman Melville lived here from 1850 to 1863, and the nomination identifies him as one of the major figures of 19th-century American literature. He completed Moby Dick, Pierre, Israel Potter, The Confidence Man and The Piazza Tales while in residence. The house and its view of Mount Greylock are tied to his work and to his friendship with Nathaniel Hawthorne.","narrative":"Arrowhead is a farmhouse on Holmes Road in Pittsfield, Massachusetts, whose oldest section was built in the 1780s by Captain David Bush and is believed to have served as an inn. Herman Melville bought it in 1850 and lived there until 1863. During those years he completed Moby Dick, Pierre, Israel Potter, The Confidence Man and The Piazza Tales. Here he also developed his friendship with Nathaniel Hawthorne. The frame and clapboard house is five bays wide and has a massive central chimney. Melville built a narrow piazza on the north end, taking advantage of the view toward Mount Greylock; that piazza was later removed. Two rear ells and a barn that predates Melville's purchase complete the buildings. The property once covered about 160 acres and now includes 14.2 acres, later expanded by a north meadow that protects the Greylock view. The Berkshire County Historical Society acquired the house in 1975 as a museum and headquarters.","period_of_significance":"1780's; 1850-1863","architect_builder":"Captain David Bush","architectural_style":null,"criteria":[],"status_note":"Acquired by the Berkshire County Historical Society in February 1975 for use as its museum and headquarters; the house is described as in excellent condition and the outbuildings in good condition.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 01:58:22.938736-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/41/7936/63793641/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_MA/66000126_NHL.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/66000126/33c7d33c95-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/66000126/33c7d33c95-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 3.0","author":"Daderot.","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Arrowhead_(Herman_Melville),_Pittsfield,_Massachusetts.JPG\" rel=\"noopener\">Daderot.</a>, <a href=\"http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/\" rel=\"license noopener\">CC BY-SA 3.0</a>, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Arrowhead_(Herman_Melville),_Pittsfield,_Massachusetts.JPG"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/63793641","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arrowhead_(Herman_Melville_House)","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q43664903"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/massachusetts/berkshire-county/melville-herman-house-66000126/"}