{"nrhp_refnum":"76000225","name":"Dillingham House","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"W of Brewster off MA 6A","address_restricted":false,"city":"Brewster","county":"Barnstable County","state":"MA","lat":41.74922430200007,"lon":-70.12472594299999,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1976-04-30","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Exploration/Settlement","Architecture"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A saltbox-style frame house on Route 6A west of Brewster village in Barnstable County, Massachusetts, said to have been built by about 1660 by the Dillingham family, on about two acres.","why_significant":"The house is thought to be the second oldest on Cape Cod and has been in Dillingham family ownership except for 1875 to 1915. It is tied to John Dillingham, a local militia lieutenant and leading citizen, and to a family of clipper ship captains. Its architectural integrity remains intact after a documented 1915-18 restoration.","narrative":"Set back from Route 6A west of Brewster village, this two-and-a-half-story shingled house on a stone foundation is said to date from about 1660. A burned date on an attic rafter, a family deed and local tradition support that age. It began as a full saltbox with a central chimney, a five-bay facade and a long rear lean-to. Inside, eighteenth-century paneling and fireplaces survive in the two front rooms, along with wide pine floorboards and early framing members encased in molding. John Dillingham acquired the land in 1657 and served as a militia lieutenant. Family legend says he drove off a pirate ship by marching neighbors around the house. Later Dillingham sea captains sailed clipper ships around the world. The family sold the property in 1875 and bought it back in 1915, then had it restored under Emery Stratton with original features preserved. A rear dormer and sleeping porch were added then. It remains a family summer home.","period_of_significance":"1600-1699","architect_builder":"Built by John Dillingham (per data sheet); 1915 restoration directed by Emery Stratton","architectural_style":"Saltbox","criteria":[],"status_note":"Occupied in summer as a private residence; condition listed as excellent; restored 1915-18.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:11:54.906444-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/63/7940/63794063/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_MA/76000225.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/76000225/be769bc588-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/76000225/be769bc588-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 3.0","author":"Stina716","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:The_Dillingham_House_Main_St._Brewster,_Ma.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Stina716</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:The_Dillingham_House_Main_St._Brewster,_Ma.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/63794063","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dillingham_House_(Brewster)","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q5276904"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/massachusetts/barnstable-county/dillingham-house-76000225/"}