{"nrhp_refnum":"86000493","name":"Morse-Barber House","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"46 Forest St.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Sherborn","county":"Middlesex County","state":"MA","lat":42.22065842600006,"lon":-71.35600417552368,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1986-01-03","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Community Planning and Development","Architecture"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A residence at 46 Forest Street in Sherborn, Massachusetts, with an early core possibly dating to about 1674, enlarged in 1814 and remodelled around 1835. It sits on 4.33 acres with a ca. 1847 barn.","why_significant":"The house may be the oldest structure in Sherborn and is tied to the early Wood and Morse families, who were among the town's first grantees. Its 1814 enlargement and ca. 1835 Greek Revival treatments show changing building practices and tastes in a rural community. The form also cites its link to Sherborn's early development patterns.","narrative":"This house at 46 Forest Street in Sherborn has an early core that may date to about 1674, possibly making it the town's oldest surviving structure. Land for the original dwelling came from Nicholas Wood, who received a grant in 1652, and his daughter Mahitable and her husband Joseph Morse built on part of the farm after their 1671 marriage. The Morse home served as Sherborn's first meetinghouse for as many as 100 settlers until a church was built in the early 1680s. By 1753 the Barber family owned it, and they kept it until the late 19th century. The main block was enlarged about 1814 to a five-bay, 2 1/2-story form with a rear ell, and Greek Revival touches were added about 1835, including a pedimented entablature and sidelights at the central door. A large frame barn was built about 1847. The property was listed for its architecture, its archaeological potential and its association with Sherborn's early development.","period_of_significance":null,"architect_builder":null,"architectural_style":"First Period/Georgian with Greek Revival decorative elements (Federal-period form and massing)","criteria":["A","C","D"],"status_note":"Present use is residence; the form states the building retains integrity of location, design, setting, materials, workmanship, feeling and association.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:11:57.678207-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/44/7916/63791644/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_MA/86000493.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/86000493/2ddc9f9075-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/86000493/2ddc9f9075-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 4.0","author":"User:Magicpiano","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:SherbornMA_MorseBarberHouse.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:SherbornMA_MorseBarberHouse.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/63791644","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Morse%E2%80%93Barber_House","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q6914234"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/massachusetts/middlesex-county/morse-barber-house-86000493/"}