{"nrhp_refnum":"89000606","name":"Symmes, Deacon John, House","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"212 Main St. (formerly 212--214 Main St.)","address_restricted":false,"city":"Winchester","county":"Middlesex County","state":"MA","lat":42.441558960000066,"lon":-71.13575261399995,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1989-07-05","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Community Planning and Development","Architecture"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A Federal style dwelling at 212-214 Main Street in Winchester, Middlesex County, Massachusetts, built circa 1807 by Deacon John Symmes in an area then still part of Medford.","why_significant":"The house is described as one of Winchester's most important and well-preserved Federal period dwellings. It is also tied to the Symmes family, among the town's earliest settlers, and is the oldest surviving Symmes family house. It meets Criteria A and C.","narrative":"This two and one-half story Federal style house at 212-214 Main Street in Winchester was built around 1807 by Deacon John Symmes, when the area still belonged to Medford. It has a low-pitched hip roof, double rear wall chimneys, a five-bay facade, wide corner boards and slightly projecting eaves. A later porch encloses the central entrance, and the eaves balustrade has been removed. Symmes, born in 1781, was the son of a local blacksmith and Revolutionary War veteran. He continued the blacksmith trade and served as a deacon of the Medford Congregational Church. His wife Pamela ran Winchester's first formal school in the house. The Symmes family were among the earliest settlers of the area, receiving a large land grant near Symmes Corner in the 1600s. This is the oldest surviving Symmes family house, and family members owned it until 1926. Its well-preserved Federal character and family associations support its listing under Criteria A and C.","period_of_significance":null,"architect_builder":"Deacon John Symmes (builder); architect anonymous","architectural_style":"Federal","criteria":["A","C"],"status_note":"Present use is a dwelling; condition is listed as excellent. Alterations include a removed eaves balustrade and a later entrance porch, with a non-contributing garage.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:12:59.834275-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/18/7916/63791618/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_MA/89000606.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/89000606/49478cc223-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/89000606/49478cc223-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 4.0","author":"User:Magicpiano","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:WinchesterMA_DeaconJohnSymmesHouse.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:WinchesterMA_DeaconJohnSymmesHouse.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/63791618","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deacon_John_Symmes_House","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q5245031"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/massachusetts/middlesex-county/symmes-deacon-john-house-89000606/"}