{"nrhp_refnum":"76000293","name":"Spurr, John, House","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"Main St.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Charlton","county":"Worcester County","state":"MA","lat":42.135093340000026,"lon":-71.96896544499998,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1976-04-26","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Military","Politics/Government","Architecture"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A two-story frame house built in the late eighteenth century (taxed in 1798; dated c.1798 or 1797 in the form) on the east side of Main (Common) Road opposite Charlton Common in Charlton Center, Massachusetts.","why_significant":"The nomination argues it is significant as the home of Major General John Spurr, a Charlton leader who took part in the Boston Tea Party and Revolutionary War actions. It is also described as one of Charlton's finest houses and the only eighteenth-century house in the Common area. A hinged paneled wall between the second-story north chambers is noted as unique in town.","narrative":"This two-story clapboard house stands on the east side of Main Street opposite Charlton Common. Built in the late eighteenth century, it was first taxed in 1798 and has a five-bay facade, a center entrance with fluted pilasters and a dentiled entablature, and a rear kitchen ell with an attached garage and shed. Its builder is not named. The house was the home of Major General John Spurr, born in 1759, who took part in the Boston Tea Party, fought at Bunker Hill and served in a Massachusetts regiment. He moved to Charlton in 1788 to claim 3,000 acres of confiscated Tory land acquired through his wife, became a state militia general and served in the General Court from 1805 to 1811. His sons also held public office. The house is noted as the only eighteenth-century dwelling near the Common, and for a hinged paneled wall between two upstairs chambers that can be raised to make one large room for gatherings.","period_of_significance":"1788-1798","architect_builder":null,"architectural_style":"Federal, Georgian","criteria":[],"status_note":"Listed as a private residence, occupied; condition marked altered, original site. A rear garage and shed were added, and earlier barns were lost after the 1938 hurricane.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:11:54.692248-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/58/7974/63797458/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_MA/76000293.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/76000293/3064795992-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/76000293/3064795992-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 4.0","author":"John Phelan","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:John_Spurr_House,_September_2016,_Charlton_MA.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">John Phelan</a>, <a href=\"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0\" rel=\"license noopener\">CC BY-SA 4.0</a>, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:John_Spurr_House,_September_2016,_Charlton_MA.jpg"},"district":{"nrhp_refnum":"95001227","name":"Charlton Center Historic District","url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/districts/massachusetts/charlton-center-historic-district-95001227/"},"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/63797458","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Spurr_House","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q6258716"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/massachusetts/worcester-county/spurr-john-house-76000293/"}