{"nrhp_refnum":"85002013","name":"Hutchins, Oliver, House","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"79 Elm St.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Chelmsford","county":"Middlesex County","state":"MA","lat":42.555092313000046,"lon":-71.38315327639108,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1985-09-05","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Industry","Agriculture","Architecture"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A vernacular Federal farmhouse built ca. 1820 at 79 Elm Street in Chelmsford, Middlesex County, Massachusetts, on about thirty acres with a granary, well-house and barn foundation. It was built by Oliver Hutchins.","why_significant":"The farmhouse keeps nearly all of its original Federal detail and is one of only three houses of its double-chimney, central-hall plan in Chelmsford. Its thirty acres of fields and stone walls preserve the town's nineteenth-century agricultural character amid heavy suburban development. The property also has links to Chelmsford's early granite industry and high archaeological potential.","narrative":"Built around 1820 by Oliver Hutchins, this farmhouse at 79 Elm Street in Chelmsford is a late, vernacular Federal home with a five-bay, two-and-one-half-story main block, a rear ell and a carriage house wing. It sits on about thirty acres that appear to match the original boundaries, with open fields, woods and stone walls. A granary, a well-house and the foundation of a barn survive nearby. Inside, most Federal finishes remain, including six-panel doors, mantels and extensive granite work in the foundation, hearths and floors. That stonework, and a sale clause allowing removal of split stone, suggest ties to Chelmsford's early granite industry. The house is one of only three of its plan in town and is less altered than the others. Its large, undeveloped setting is unusual given the suburban growth of the twentieth century, and the grounds are thought to hold significant archaeological remains from a nineteenth-century farmstead.","period_of_significance":"1800-1899","architect_builder":"Oliver Hutchins (builder; architect listed as unknown)","architectural_style":"Late vernacular Federal farmhouse","criteria":["A","C"],"status_note":"Described as unoccupied, with renovation planned by the owner; about ten acres remain under cultivation. The granary and well-house are in poor condition.","vacant_flag":true,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:11:57.637289-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/80/7955/63795580/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_MA/85002013.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/85002013/f82ab1460a-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/85002013/f82ab1460a-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY 3.0","author":"John Phelan","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Oliver_Hutchins_House,_South_Chelmsford_MA.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">John Phelan</a>, <a href=\"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0\" rel=\"license noopener\">CC BY 3.0</a>, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Oliver_Hutchins_House,_South_Chelmsford_MA.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/63795580","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oliver_Hutchins_House","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q7087612"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/massachusetts/middlesex-county/hutchins-oliver-house-85002013/"}