{"nrhp_refnum":"84002085","name":"Shepard, Thomas, House","other_names":["Hartwell-Lee Farm"],"category":"building","location":{"address":"East Hill Rd.","address_restricted":false,"city":"New Marlborough","county":"Berkshire County","state":"MA","lat":42.089942438000065,"lon":-73.20055596990984,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1984-05-31","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Agriculture","Exploration/Settlement","Architecture","Social History"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A 2½-story Georgian-style timber-frame farmhouse built in 1798 on East Hill Road in the southeastern part of New Marlborough, Berkshire County, Massachusetts. The nominated parcel covers about 13.65 acres on both sides of the road.","why_significant":"The house is an excellent example of a late 18th-century farmhouse with sophisticated Georgian detail, built by prominent local builder John Collar. It is associated with the Shepard and Hartwell families, who helped found New Marlborough's first Baptist congregation. It may also hold archaeological information in its well, foundation and farm landscape.","narrative":"Built in 1798 on East Hill Road in New Marlborough, this timber-frame farmhouse rises two and a half stories beneath a hip roof with two off-set chimneys. Its five-bay south facade features a Georgian entry beneath a modified Palladian window, with sidelights and a dentilled entablature. Builder John Collar, the best-known carpenter in the area during the late 1700s, is credited with the design. Thomas Shepard, who bought the land in 1768, lived here until 1809, when he sold to Elder Jesse Hartwell. The Shepard and Hartwell families helped establish the town's first Baptist congregation, and meetings may have been held in the large upper hall before a church was built in 1847. Later alterations in 1837 and 1934 were removed in a recent rehabilitation that restored the hipped roof, entry, Palladian window and 12/12 sash. The surrounding land holds a historic well, a family burial plot and possible archaeological remains.","period_of_significance":"1700-1799 (Federal period; specific date 1798)","architect_builder":"Captain John Collar","architectural_style":"Georgian (late 18th century farmhouse, Federal period)","criteria":["A","B","C"],"status_note":"Occupied as a private residence and agricultural property; recently completed a certified rehabilitation restoring its Federal period appearance.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:11:56.314509-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/40/7941/63794140/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_MA/84002085.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/84002085/57c639052e-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/84002085/57c639052e-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 3.0","author":"Zinetv1","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Thomas_Shepard_House_1.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Zinetv1</a>, <a href=\"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0\" rel=\"license noopener\">CC BY-SA 3.0</a>, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Thomas_Shepard_House_1.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/63794140","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Shepard_House","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q7793925"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/massachusetts/berkshire-county/shepard-thomas-house-84002085/"}