{"nrhp_refnum":"82004470","name":"Willard House and Clock Museum","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"11 Willard St.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Grafton","county":"Worcester County","state":"MA","lat":42.23891370200005,"lon":-71.67310886299998,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1982-06-01","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Industry","Architecture","Invention"],"significance_levels":["state"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A colonial saltbox farmhouse at 11 Willard Street in Grafton, Massachusetts, begun in 1718 by Major Joseph Willard, with an adjoining 1766 clock shop and a reconstructed barn, now operated as a museum.","why_significant":"The nomination argues the property is significant for its association with four famous Willard clockmakers (Benjamin, Simon, Ephraim and Aaron), all born in the house between 1743 and 1757. It also shows evolving colonial architecture in Grafton and includes a rare surviving 18th-century clock shop. The site may hold archaeological evidence of small-scale crafts production.","narrative":"Set on about nine acres of open land in North Grafton, this colonial farmhouse began in 1718 as a single room with a sleeping loft, built by Major Joseph Willard. Around 1760 the west side and second story were added, followed by a lean-to, giving the house its two-and-a-half-story saltbox form. A clock shop built in 1766 stands beside it, along with a barn rebuilt from an 18th-century tavern frame. Four of Benjamin and Sarah Willard's children, Benjamin, Simon, Ephraim and Aaron, were born here and became noted clockmakers. Simon patented a lighthouse clock, and Aaron is credited with the Massachusetts shelf clock. The family's work includes the banjo clock form and the Roxbury tall clock case. The house is the oldest surviving residence in Grafton, and the clock shop is an unusual survivor of small-scale craft production. Restored after its 1968 purchase, it now operates as a museum of Willard clocks.","period_of_significance":"1700-1799 and 1800-1899 (specific date 1718)","architect_builder":"Joseph Willard","architectural_style":"Colonial period saltbox farmhouse","criteria":["B","C"],"status_note":"Occupied and in use as a museum; restored 1969-1971, in excellent condition per the form, with a gallery added in 1976.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:11:54.064553-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/43/7971/63797143/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_MA/82004470.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/82004470/37004127bd-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/82004470/37004127bd-1600.webp","licence":"CC0","author":"Daderot","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Willard_House_and_Clock_Museum_-_North_Grafton,_MA_-_DSC04499.JPG\" rel=\"noopener\">Daderot</a>, <a href=\"http://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/deed.en\" rel=\"license noopener\">CC0</a>, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Willard_House_and_Clock_Museum_-_North_Grafton,_MA_-_DSC04499.JPG"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/63797143","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Willard_House_and_Clock_Museum","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q8003427"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/massachusetts/worcester-county/willard-house-and-clock-museum-82004470/"}