{"nrhp_refnum":"86000379","name":"Cary, Otis, House","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"242 South St.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Foxboro","county":"Norfolk County","state":"MA","lat":42.045099049000044,"lon":-71.25942349899998,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1986-03-13","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Industry","Politics/Government","Architecture"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A Greek Revival-style house at 242 South Street in southern Foxboro, Norfolk County, Massachusetts, built in 1837 for Otis Cary. It is a 2 1/2-story, five-bay building with a rear ell and a mid-19th-century barn.","why_significant":"The house is tied to the beginnings of industrialization in Foxboro through Otis Cary, a manufacturer, local politician and community leader. His foundry and mill no longer exist, so the house is one of the few surviving structures from that period. It is also a good example of a vernacular Greek Revival farmhouse.","narrative":"Built in 1837, this five-bay Greek Revival farmhouse at 242 South Street in Foxboro rises 2 1/2 stories under a gable roof, with a rear ell and a mid-19th-century barn linked by a breezeway. Vinyl siding covers most of the exterior, but the molded window frames, pilastered corner boards, deep frieze and cornice survive, and the interior keeps fireplaces with fluted pilasters, paneled doors and wide-board floors. The house was built for Otis Cary (1804-1888), who bought the Mill Street Iron Foundry in 1834 and later dealt in the Nason Cotton Mill. He also donated land and money for a school, served in the state legislature and as a selectman, and led local banks and a railroad company. His foundry and the mill are gone, so the house is among the few remaining links to Foxboro's early industry. His son Otis Cary Jr., a missionary in Japan, and grandson Frank Boyden, longtime headmaster of Deerfield Academy, were both born here.","period_of_significance":"1800-1899","architect_builder":"Unknown","architectural_style":"Greek Revival","criteria":["A","B","C"],"status_note":"Occupied private residence in excellent condition; exterior covered in vinyl siding that leaves the original details intact.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:13:00.276842-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/58/7963/63796358/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_MA/86000379.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/86000379/9886716c62-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/86000379/9886716c62-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY 3.0","author":"John Phelan","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Otis_Cary_House,_Foxborough_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:Otis_Cary_House,_Foxborough_MA.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/63796358","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Otis_Cary_House","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q7108766"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/massachusetts/norfolk-county/cary-otis-house-86000379/"}