{"nrhp_refnum":"82004483","name":"Wight, Oliver, House","other_names":["The Lodge"],"category":"building","location":{"address":"Main St.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Sturbridge","county":"Worcester County","state":"MA","lat":42.11157231000004,"lon":-72.08910241799998,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1982-06-01","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Art","Architecture"],"significance_levels":["state"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A timber-framed 2 1/2 story late Georgian dwelling on Main Street (Route 20) in Sturbridge, Worcester County, Massachusetts, built about 1789 by Oliver Wight. It now serves as the focal point of a neo-colonial motor lodge complex.","why_significant":"The nomination argues the house is an excellent, well-preserved example of high style late Georgian design, notably the Worcester County type with a gable-on-hip roof. Its entrance hall also holds landscape murals attributed to the itinerant artist Rufus Porter. It retains integrity of location, design, materials and workmanship and is tied to eighteenth century settlement of Sturbridge.","narrative":"Built around 1789 by cabinetmaker Oliver Wight, this 2 1/2 story timber-framed house on Route 20 in Sturbridge is an outstanding local example of high style late Georgian architecture. It has a nearly square central-hall plan, twin interior chimneys rising through a steep gable-on-hip roof, a modillion cornice, and detailed pedimented entries. Inside, the broad front hall keeps its original stair, flooring, wainscot and plaster walls, along with landscape murals in distemper attributed to the itinerant artist Rufus Porter. The second floor was laid out to accommodate a ballroom that could be divided by movable partitions, a feature known in only a few nearby houses. Wight was one of three brothers who built homes in the area later called Wightville. The house later served as a hotel, returned to the Wight family in 1863, and was bought in 1936 for Old Sturbridge Village. Although commercial development has changed its surroundings, the house stands on its original site and preserves almost all of its original design.","period_of_significance":"1700-1799","architect_builder":"Oliver Wight","architectural_style":"High style, late Georgian (Worcester County type with gable on hip roof)","criteria":["C"],"status_note":"Occupied and in excellent condition; altered setting with outbuildings lost; restored in the early 1950s under a museum-directed restoration; used as part of a motor lodge complex.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:11:54.262413-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/16/7974/63797416/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_MA/82004483.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/82004483/7a1eff3de9-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/82004483/7a1eff3de9-1600.webp","licence":"Public domain","author":"Kailas19","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:OliverWighthouse1.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Kailas19</a>, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:OliverWighthouse1.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/63797416","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oliver_Wight_House","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q7087935"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/massachusetts/worcester-county/wight-oliver-house-82004483/"}