{"nrhp_refnum":"87000281","name":"Richardson, John, House","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"242 Phinney's Ln.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Barnstable","county":"Barnstable County","state":"MA","lat":41.65794217800004,"lon":-70.33859787299997,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1987-09-18","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Exploration/Settlement","Architecture"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A Federal-style 3/4 Cape cottage at 242 Phinneys Lane in the Centerville village of Barnstable, Massachusetts, built about 1795 for John Richardson and his wife. Architect unknown.","why_significant":"The house is a well-preserved local example of a Federal period Cape cottage. It is one of the few early dwellings left in Centerville's original settlement center on Phinneys Lane. It has long been associated with the Richardson family, whose descendants have kept the homestead.","narrative":"Built around 1795, this 1½-story Cape cottage at 242 Phinneys Lane in Centerville, Barnstable, follows the 3/4 Cape form under a gable roof. The entry and chimney sit one bay in from the north, the trim is minimal with no transom over the door, and the windows hold 6/6 sash. A one-story rear ell and a mid-19th-century 1½-story north wing were added without altering the original design. The barn is also retained. John Richardson, a Harvard student, came to Centerville to teach school in 1795 and soon built the house for his wife; he was the first teacher at the Phinneys Lane School. Jane Phinney Richardson later had an addition built. The homestead has passed down through the family, making it the only Centerville house still owned by members of its original family. It stands near the site of the first meetinghouse and the burying ground, in the village's original settlement center.","period_of_significance":null,"architect_builder":null,"architectural_style":"Federal (3/4 Cape cottage)","criteria":["A","C"],"status_note":"Present use is residential; condition is listed as excellent, with no major alterations recorded on the survey form.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:13:01.503248-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/87/7891/63789187/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_MA/87000281.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/87000281/46c9dec087-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/87000281/46c9dec087-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 3.0","author":"John Phelan","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:242_Phinneys_Lane,_Centerville_MA.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">John Phelan</a>, <a href=\"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0\" rel=\"license noopener\">CC BY-SA 3.0</a>, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:242_Phinneys_Lane,_Centerville_MA.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/63789187","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Richardson_House_(Barnstable,_Massachusetts)","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q6254835"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/massachusetts/barnstable-county/richardson-john-house-87000281/"}