{"nrhp_refnum":"87000295","name":"Isham, Herman, House","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"1322 Main St.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Barnstable","county":"Barnstable County","state":"MA","lat":41.64086755300008,"lon":-70.39215589147545,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1987-03-13","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Architecture"],"significance_levels":["national","state","local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A Georgian-style cottage at 1322 Main Street in Osterville, Barnstable, Massachusetts, dated c. 1747 by the Osterville Historical Society. It was originally a residence and farm, and the architect is unknown.","why_significant":"The house is presented as a fine example of a Georgian cottage with a five-bay facade, a central chimney and an elegant swelled console entry. It is one of only three houses in town with this entry treatment. Several outbuildings and the surrounding rural landscape add to its integrity. It was also home to Seth Weeks, last survivor of the whaler Essex.","narrative":"Built around 1747 on Main Street in Osterville, this Georgian cottage began as a farm residence. It rises one and a half stories under a gable roof, with a central chimney, a full five-bay symmetrical facade and a one-story rear ell. The center entry has a heavy pilastered surround, swelled consoles and a rectangular transom with radiating muntins; only three houses in town use this entry treatment. Most windows hold 6/6 sash, probably 19th-century replacements, though some original 12/6 sash survives in the attic. A large barn, shed and greenhouse remain on the property, which sits in a rural setting north of the village and is now used as an office. Little is known of the first owner. The best-known occupant was Seth Weeks, last survivor of the whaler Essex, sunk by a whale in 1820, an event that inspired Herman Melville's Moby Dick. Weeks later commanded one of Barnstable's last whalers in 1847.","period_of_significance":null,"architect_builder":null,"architectural_style":"Georgian","criteria":["C"],"status_note":"Listed in good condition with no major alterations; present use is office. Outbuildings include a large barn, shed and greenhouse.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:13:01.398055-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/61/7890/63789061/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_MA/87000295.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/87000295/0f8c130a4d-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/87000295/0f8c130a4d-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 3.0","author":"John Phelan","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Herman_Isham_House,_Osterville_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:Herman_Isham_House,_Osterville_MA.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/63789061","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Herman_Isham_House","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q5739872"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/massachusetts/barnstable-county/isham-herman-house-87000295/"}