{"nrhp_refnum":"86000028","name":"Stone, Joseph, House","other_names":["Potter Acres"],"category":"building","location":{"address":"35 Stone St.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Auburn","county":"Worcester County","state":"MA","lat":42.18533738100007,"lon":-71.83037756499994,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1986-01-09","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Architecture","Performing Arts"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A 1 1/2-story, five-bay colonial cottage with a western ell at 35 Stone Street, Auburn, Massachusetts, on a five-acre lot. Its earliest part was built about 1729, with additions in 1790, 1886 and 1946.","why_significant":"The form calls it an intact colonial-period vernacular cottage, believed to be the oldest surviving residence in Auburn. It is also associated with Joseph Stone, who owned it from 1785 to 1826 and was a prolific composer of psalmody. The property also has archaeological potential, both prehistoric and historic.","narrative":"This five-acre farm property on Stone Street in southern Auburn centers on a 1 1/2-story cottage with a central entrance and a large ridge chimney. Its earliest section, a three-bay half house, was built about 1729 and is believed to be the oldest surviving residence in the town. Joseph Stone, who took possession in 1785 and enlarged the house to five bays in 1790, was Ward's town clerk, drew an early 1794 map of the town, and composed psalmody for decades, producing over 2,000 songs. Later alterations include an 1886 kitchen, bath and sunporch conversion of the ell and a single-story saltbox-style addition in 1946. Interior raised panel doors, mantelpieces and wainscoting survive. James Alger, a railroad engineer, lived here in the 19th century. The lot also holds an 18th-century shed and barn remains, and may contain prehistoric and historic archaeological deposits.","period_of_significance":null,"architect_builder":"Unknown","architectural_style":"Colonial vernacular cottage (Cape/half-house form) with a Colonial Revival doorway alteration","criteria":["B","C"],"status_note":"Occupied private residence in good condition; altered in 1790, 1886 and 1946. The 1946 addition contains an apartment.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:11:56.925159-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/55/7971/63797155/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_MA/86000028.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/86000028/2ce77beb42-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/86000028/2ce77beb42-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY 3.0","author":"John Phelan","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Joseph_Stone_House,_Auburn_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:Joseph_Stone_House,_Auburn_MA.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/63797155","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joseph_Stone_House","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q14715650"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/massachusetts/worcester-county/stone-joseph-house-86000028/"}