{"nrhp_refnum":"74002035","name":"Sparrow, Richard, House","other_names":["See Also:Town Square-Town Brook Historic District"],"category":"building","location":{"address":"42 Summer St.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Plymouth","county":"Plymouth County","state":"MA","lat":41.954227927000034,"lon":-70.66452520999997,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1974-10-09","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Architecture"],"significance_levels":["state"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A 2½-story house at 42 Summer Street in Plymouth, Massachusetts, built in 1640 by Richard Sparrow, with a 1750 addition on the west side. It sits within the Town Square-Town Brook Historic District and is used as a museum.","why_significant":"The nomination calls it the oldest house in Plymouth and one of the oldest in New England. Its first-floor Great Hall holds the only known intact 17th-century fireplace, and shadow-mould pine casing on the corner posts is described as the only known example of that decoration in New England.","narrative":"Built in 1640 by Richard Sparrow, this house at 42 Summer Street is described as the oldest house in Plymouth and one of the oldest in New England. It faces north on a slope that drops toward Town Brook, within the Town Square-Town Brook Historic District. The original section is three bays wide and one deep, with a steep roof and casement windows. A lean-to was added later in the 17th century, and a small extension followed in 1750. In the early 19th century the two units were divided to form a double house. A restoration in 1933 returned the earlier section to its original roof pitch. The Great Hall is the most notable feature. Its brick chimney and fireplace are the only known intact 17th-century example, and the room keeps original floor boards up to 28 inches wide. Shadow-mould pine casing on the corner posts is the only known example of its kind in New England. Sparrow came to Plymouth in 1632 and gave the house to his son Jonathan in 1651.","period_of_significance":"1640 and 1750 (17th and 18th centuries)","architect_builder":"Richard Sparrow","architectural_style":null,"criteria":[],"status_note":"Described as in good condition, altered, on its original site, occupied, and used as a museum; restored in 1933.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:11:54.669245-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/5/7965/63796505/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_MA/74002035.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/74002035/a56de61988-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/74002035/a56de61988-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 3.0","author":"Swampyank at en.wikipedia","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Richard_Sparrow_House_in_Plymouth_Massachusetts.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Swampyank at en.wikipedia</a>, <a href=\"https://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:Richard_Sparrow_House_in_Plymouth_Massachusetts.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/63796505","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_Sparrow_House","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q7329174"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/massachusetts/plymouth-county/sparrow-richard-house-74002035/"}