{"nrhp_refnum":"87000374","name":"Wood, Ahijah, House","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"174 Worcester Rd.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Westminster","county":"Worcester County","state":"MA","lat":42.52273586500007,"lon":-71.89250272499999,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1987-09-17","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Community Planning and Development","Agriculture","Architecture"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A brick Federal-style farmhouse at 174 Worcester Road in Westminster, Worcester County, Massachusetts, built about 1795 by Ahijah Wood. It has a rare double-hipped roof and sits on a rural lot south of the town center.","why_significant":"The nomination argues the house is architecturally significant as a well-preserved vernacular Federal country dwelling, and the only double-hipped roof in Westminster. It is historically significant for its association with the Wood family, prominent local farmers and town officials who owned it until 1902.","narrative":"Built around 1795 by farmer Ahijah Wood, this brick house on Worcester Road in Westminster, Massachusetts, is a vernacular Federal-style farmhouse. It stands two and a half stories high on a fieldstone foundation, with Flemish bond brickwork, a five-bay front, a central entry and a steep double-hipped roof, the only one of its kind in Westminster. Inside, it keeps its original double-pile plan with a central hall, molded paneling and a folding partition on the second floor. Some changes have occurred, including altered window framing, replaced sash and a lost rear ell. Ahijah Wood was a Revolutionary War soldier and town official. His son Aaron was an abolitionist and temperance supporter, and his grandson Theodore built the property into the model dairy operation known as Maplewood Farm. The Wood family held the house until 1902. It was listed for its architecture and for its link to this prominent local family.","period_of_significance":"ca. 1795-1902","architect_builder":"Unknown (built by Ahijah Wood, according to the narrative)","architectural_style":"Federal (vernacular)","criteria":["A","C"],"status_note":"Occupied as a private residence at the time of the nomination; the form says its immediate future was uncertain after a recent change of ownership.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:13:02.274497-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/11/7971/63797111/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_MA/87000374.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/87000374/a5a08c433d-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/87000374/a5a08c433d-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 4.0","author":"User:Magicpiano","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:WestminsterMA_AhijahWoodHouse.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:WestminsterMA_AhijahWoodHouse.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/63797111","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ahijah_Wood_House","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q4695107"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/massachusetts/worcester-county/wood-ahijah-house-87000374/"}