{"nrhp_refnum":"84002286","name":"Willis, Joseph, House","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"28 Worchester St.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Taunton","county":"Bristol County","state":"MA","lat":41.91658291200008,"lon":-71.14689933899996,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1984-07-05","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Exploration/Settlement","Architecture"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A First Period lean-to (saltbox) house at 28 Worcester Street in Taunton, Bristol County, Massachusetts, built in 1688 for Joseph Willis and still used as a residence.","why_significant":"Local sources reputedly call it the oldest structure on its original site in Taunton. It is a rare, well-preserved example of First Period lean-to architecture and perhaps the earliest survivor of the city's initial settlement. It also has ties to Joseph Willis, a King Philip's War veteran who was granted land in Taunton.","narrative":"Built in 1688 at 28 Worcester Street in Taunton, this lean-to house was constructed for Joseph Willis and is still used as a residence. Local sources reputedly consider it the oldest structure on its original site in the city. Willis, a native of Bridgewater, received land in Taunton as a military favor for service in King Philip's War and settled locally in 1670. The house shows features typical of early construction: asymmetrically placed facade bays, a central chimney stack, a saltbox roof, an off-center entrance and small window openings. The doorway is trimmed with pilaster and entablature boards, and the roof, now reshingled in wood, has close-cropped eaves. Two ells were added to the original block, and the interior has been remodeled. The house retains integrity of location, design, setting, materials, workmanship and association. It was listed for its association with the city's initial settlement and as a rare, well-preserved example of First Period architecture.","period_of_significance":null,"architect_builder":null,"architectural_style":"First Period lean-to (saltbox)","criteria":["A","C"],"status_note":"Present use is residence; ells were added and the interior has recently been remodeled.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:11:57.403348-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/1/7895/63789501/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_MA/84002286.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/84002286/2bea483b3b-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/84002286/2bea483b3b-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 4.0","author":"User:Magicpiano","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:TauntonMA_JosephWillisHouse.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">User:Magicpiano</a>, <a href=\"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0\" rel=\"license noopener\">CC BY-SA 4.0</a>, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:TauntonMA_JosephWillisHouse.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/63789501","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joseph_Willis_House","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q6288000"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/massachusetts/bristol-county/willis-joseph-house-84002286/"}