{"nrhp_refnum":"84002165","name":"Lord-Baylies-Bennett House","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"66 Winthrop St.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Taunton","county":"Bristol County","state":"MA","lat":41.89778622500006,"lon":-71.09678489199996,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1984-07-05","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Architecture"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A 1½-story Greek Revival house of fieldstone at 66 Winthrop Street in Taunton, Massachusetts, built in 1831 for Joseph L. Lord. It has been used as a Masonic Temple since 1959.","why_significant":"The house is argued to be an unusually well-preserved Greek Revival cottage built in masonry, which is rare for residential architecture in Taunton. It is also significant as the home of several prominent 19th-century Taunton citizens, including Francis Baylies and Edmund Hatch Bennett, Taunton's first mayor.","narrative":"Built in 1831 at 66 Winthrop Street in Taunton, this small Greek Revival house is made of uncoursed fieldstone, a material rarely used for homes in the city. A one-story portico of fluted columns and a paneled entablature wraps the 1½-story central-hall building. Tall parlor-floor windows, a central entrance with leaded transom and sidelights, and four tall paneled brick chimneys complete the design. Joseph L. Lord, Taunton's postmaster from 1829 to 1835, had it built as his residence. In 1836 it passed to Francis Baylies, a lawyer, judge, author and diplomat. Edmund Hatch Bennett, the city's first mayor, lived there from 1888 to 1898. The Masonic Corporation bought the property in 1959 for use as a hall and added a modern brick rear wing around 1960. The house was listed for its association with prominent 19th-century residents and for its well-preserved masonry architecture.","period_of_significance":null,"architect_builder":null,"architectural_style":"Greek Revival","criteria":["B","C"],"status_note":"In use as a Masonic Temple since 1959; a rear addition was built around 1960 and the main block remains in excellent preservation.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:11:56.686435-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/21/7895/63789521/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_MA/84002165.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/84002165/9d1e4a57d3-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/84002165/9d1e4a57d3-1600.webp","licence":"Public domain","author":"Marcbela (Marc N. Belanger)","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Masonic_Lodge_Taunton.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Marcbela (Marc N. Belanger)</a>, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Masonic_Lodge_Taunton.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/63789521","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lord-Baylies-Bennett_House","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q6678874"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/massachusetts/bristol-county/lord-baylies-bennett-house-84002165/"}