{"nrhp_refnum":"84002559","name":"Damon, Joseph, House","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"178 South St.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Reading","county":"Middlesex County","state":"MA","lat":42.50523298600007,"lon":-71.11601356499995,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1984-07-19","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Architecture"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A two-story, five-bay wood-frame house at 178 South Street in Reading, Massachusetts, built around 1754 for Joseph Damon and moved across the road around 1798-99.","why_significant":"The house marks an early node of settlement in the southwest part of Reading and is tied to the locally important Damon family. It is also a nearly intact Georgian house remodeled in the Federal period. It is cited under Criteria A, B and C.","narrative":"Built around 1754, this two-story, five-bay clapboard house at 178 South Street in Reading is a good local example of the Georgian-Federal vernacular tradition. It sits at the foot of a hill on high granite foundations, with 6/6 windows set high and a plain, narrow door surround. The house is believed to have been moved across the road around 1798-99. At that time its central chimney was removed and two interior splayed chimneys were built. An ell mentioned in 1813 extends downhill on rubble stone foundations. The property reflects the Damon family, who held the house under divided ownership for more than a century, a common practice in the 18th century when housing was scarce. One family member, Rufus, was a shoemaker and may have used part of the ell as a shoe shop. The house is significant for establishing a node of settlement in southwest Reading, for its Damon family connection, and as a largely intact Georgian house remodeled in the Federal period.","period_of_significance":null,"architect_builder":null,"architectural_style":"Federal vernacular (Georgian-Federal vernacular tradition)","criteria":["A","B","C"],"status_note":"Described as virtually intact, retaining integrity of design, setting, materials, workmanship and feeling.","vacant_flag":null,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:11:56.931136-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/7/7907/63790707/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_MA/84002559.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/84002559/42d19cc34b-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/84002559/42d19cc34b-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 4.0","author":"User:Magicpiano","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:ReadingMA_JosephDamonHouse.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:ReadingMA_JosephDamonHouse.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/63790707","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joseph_Damon_House","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q6282458"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/massachusetts/middlesex-county/damon-joseph-house-84002559/"}