{"nrhp_refnum":"78000477","name":"King Caesar House","other_names":["Ezra Weston II House"],"category":"building","location":{"address":"King Caesar Rd.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Duxbury","county":"Plymouth County","state":"MA","lat":42.04528950100007,"lon":-70.66400278699996,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1978-03-29","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Industry","Commerce","Architecture"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A Federal style house on Powder Point in Duxbury, Massachusetts, overlooking Duxbury Bay and the Weston Wharf, built in 1808 by shipbuilder Ezra Weston II, known as \"King Caesar.\"","why_significant":"The nomination calls it the finest Federal style structure in Duxbury and the home of a prominent local family. Its builder, Ezra Weston II, was a leading American shipbuilder and shipowner whose family business built and owned ninety-nine vessels between 1800 and 1842. The house also faces south toward the family's harbor and wharf, which are included in the nominated property.","narrative":"Built in 1808 on Powder Point in Duxbury, this Federal style house was the home of Ezra Weston II, nicknamed \"King Caesar\" for his success in shipbuilding and shipping. The original two-story, T-plan house has a hip roof, four tall chimneys, a five-bay symmetrical south facade, and a doorway with leaded glass sidelights and fanlight. Later ells and an early two-story addition extend to the rear, including a summer kitchen. Inside, the parlors retain French wallpapers, and the rooms hold period furnishings, many belonging to the Weston family. The Westons ran farms, a ropewalk, a forge, a cotton mill, a sail loft and a ten-acre shipyard, and built and owned ninety-nine vessels between 1800 and 1842. The house is regarded as the finest Federal style building in Duxbury and faces the family's former wharf on the bay. Since 1965 it has housed a local historical society's museum.","period_of_significance":"1808","architect_builder":"Ezra Weston II (builder)","architectural_style":"Federal","criteria":[],"status_note":"Condition is listed as excellent. The house is occupied and serves as the headquarters and museum of the Duxbury Rural and Historical Society, open to visitors each summer.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:11:53.764493-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/44/7965/63796544/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_MA/78000477.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/78000477/5e61644b2f-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/78000477/5e61644b2f-1600.webp","licence":"Public domain","author":"Duxbury Rural &amp; Hist Soc","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:King_Caesar_House.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Duxbury Rural &amp;amp; Hist Soc</a>, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:King_Caesar_House.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/63796544","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/King_Caesar_House","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q6411309"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/massachusetts/plymouth-county/king-caesar-house-78000477/"}