{"nrhp_refnum":"73000327","name":"Cushing, Caleb, House","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"98 High St.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Newburyport","county":"Essex County","state":"MA","lat":42.80663962650007,"lon":-70.87036958433802,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1973-11-07","is_nhl":true,"nhl_designated_date":"1973-11-07","areas_of_significance":["Politics/Government"],"significance_levels":["national"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A square, three-story brick house with a cupola at 98 High Street, Newburyport, Massachusetts, begun by William Hunt after he bought the land in 1808 and later owned by the Cushing family for three generations.","why_significant":"The house is tied to Caleb Cushing, a diplomat and politician who negotiated the 1844 Treaty of Wanghia, the first American treaty with China. It is also a fine example of Federal architecture with an elaborate carved wood cornice made by Newburyport craftsmen. Cushing lived there from 1802 until 1849 and kept using it for social and political functions afterward.","narrative":"Caleb Cushing House at 98 High Street in Newburyport, Massachusetts, is a square, three-story brick Federal house topped by a cupola. William Hunt began building it after buying the land in 1808 but died before finishing it. John Cushing then bought the property, and it stayed in the family for three generations. The cupola was added in 1863 to serve as a nursery. Newburyport craftsmen carved the elaborate wood cornice, and the interior mantels, woodwork and paneling remain intact. The house is recognized chiefly for Caleb Cushing, who lived there from 1802 to 1849. As commissioner to China, he negotiated the 1844 Treaty of Wanghia, which gave the United States trade and diplomatic privileges equal to those of other powers. He later served as Attorney General and was noted for severing ties with his private law practice. The Historical Society of Old Newburyport uses the house as its headquarters and museum.","period_of_significance":"1802-1849","architect_builder":"William Hunt began construction; no architect named","architectural_style":"Federal","criteria":[],"status_note":"Excellent condition and unaltered; occupied and used as a museum and headquarters by the Historical Society of Old Newburyport. Interiors are intact.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:11:54.354065-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/99/7936/63793699/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_MA/73000327_NHL.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/73000327/16058b7633-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/73000327/16058b7633-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 3.0","author":"Daderot at en.wikipedia","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Cushing_House_Museum_and_Garden_-_Newburyport,_Massachusetts.JPG\" rel=\"noopener\">Daderot at en.wikipedia</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:Cushing_House_Museum_and_Garden_-_Newburyport,_Massachusetts.JPG"},"district":{"nrhp_refnum":"84002411","name":"Newburyport Historic District","url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/districts/massachusetts/newburyport-historic-district-84002411/"},"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/63793699","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cushing_House_Museum_and_Garden","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q5196191"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/massachusetts/essex-county/cushing-caleb-house-73000327/"}