{"nrhp_refnum":"86001894","name":"Ward, Ephraim, House","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"121 Ward St.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Newton","county":"Middlesex County","state":"MA","lat":42.33802273300006,"lon":-71.17739687199997,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1986-09-04","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Agriculture","Architecture","Social History"],"significance_levels":["state","local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A Federal-style single-family dwelling at 121 Ward Street in Chestnut Hill, Newton, Massachusetts, built in 1821 by Ephraim Ward on the site of an earlier Ward family house.","why_significant":"It is presented as one of relatively few well-preserved Federal period dwellings in the eastern half of Newton. It is also tied to the Ward family, farmers who owned large amounts of land in the area during the nineteenth century. The form cites Criteria B and C.","narrative":"Built in 1821 at 121 Ward Street in Chestnut Hill, this Federal-style house replaced an earlier Ward family home on the same site, a house of 1661 known as the Garrison House and said to have sheltered people during King Philip's War. Ephraim Ward had the older building torn down and put up the present clapboard dwelling, a blocky rectangular form with a low hip roof, a five-bay facade, paired outer windows, and a narrow entrance framed by slender pilasters and a panelled entablature. Seven generations of the Ward family lived on the site, and the family occupied the present house until 1974. The Wards raised cattle, kept extensive fruit orchards and grew traditional crops, working land alongside Ephraim's brothers nearby. His son Thomas and Thomas's wife Hannah continued farming until after 1900. The house is valued as a well-preserved Federal period dwelling and for its link to this farming family.","period_of_significance":null,"architect_builder":"Ephraim Ward (builder of the present house; architect unknown)","architectural_style":"Federal","criteria":["B","C"],"status_note":"Condition described as excellent; present use is a dwelling. Alterations in the 1860s included interior remodelling and a north wing addition.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:13:01.531697-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/60/7914/63791460/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_MA/86001894.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/86001894/ca45d2d768-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/86001894/ca45d2d768-1600.webp","licence":"Public domain","author":"Biruitorul","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:EphraimWardHouse.JPG\" rel=\"noopener\">Biruitorul</a>, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:EphraimWardHouse.JPG"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/63791460","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ephraim_Ward_House","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q5382345"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/massachusetts/middlesex-county/ward-ephraim-house-86001894/"}