{"nrhp_refnum":"78000429","name":"Butterfield-Whittemore House","other_names":["Whittemore,Samuel,House"],"category":"building","location":{"address":"54 Massachusetts Ave.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Arlington","county":"Middlesex County","state":"MA","lat":42.40180681100003,"lon":-71.13780481299995,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1978-03-30","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Exploration/Settlement","Politics/Government"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A two-story brick house at 54 Massachusetts Avenue in Arlington, Massachusetts, believed to have been built in 1695 by Jonathan Butterfield Sr. It was later extended to the rear and given a 1 1/2 story wing.","why_significant":"The nomination calls it one of the oldest structures in Arlington. It is significant for its long association with two prominent families, the Butterfields and the Whittemores, who figured in the early political, military, religious and agricultural life of Arlington and Cambridge. The Whittemores include Capt. Samuel Whittemore, who fought British soldiers on April 19, 1775.","narrative":"Standing at an angle to Massachusetts Avenue in Arlington, this two-story brick house with a low hip roof and granite foundation is believed to date from 1695, when Jonathan Butterfield Sr., a cordwainer, built it. The original section had a central hall and one room on each side. It was later extended to the rear and given a 1 1/2 story wing. The house once belonged to an estate of more than 80 acres and is now surrounded by 20th century residential and commercial buildings. Its importance rests on two families. The Butterfields helped establish Menotomy as a separate precinct and its church. In 1749 the farm passed to Samuel Whittemore. His relative Capt. Samuel Whittemore sniped at British soldiers during their retreat from Lexington in 1775, at almost 80 years old, and survived being bayoneted. Another descendant invented a wool card-making machine. The Whittemore land was subdivided in the early 20th century.","period_of_significance":"1695-1729","architect_builder":"Jonathan Butterfield","architectural_style":null,"criteria":[],"status_note":"Listed as a private residence and occupied; condition marked good, with later additions and a 20th century setting of residential and commercial buildings.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:11:53.596328-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/41/7959/63795941/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_MA/78000429.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/78000429/c1da6ff054-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/78000429/c1da6ff054-1600.webp","licence":"Public domain","author":"Daderot","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Butterfield-Whittemore_House,_ArlingtonMA_-_IMG_2766.JPG\" rel=\"noopener\">Daderot</a>, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Butterfield-Whittemore_House,_ArlingtonMA_-_IMG_2766.JPG"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/63795941","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Butterfield-Whittemore_House","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q5002873"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/massachusetts/middlesex-county/butterfield-whittemore-house-78000429/"}