{"nrhp_refnum":"89000738","name":"Cowdry, Nathaniel, House","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"71 Prospect St.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Wakefield","county":"Middlesex County","state":"MA","lat":42.50480093200008,"lon":-71.08557251399998,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1989-07-06","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Architecture"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A 2½-story, five-bay Georgian wood-frame house at 71 Prospect Street, Wakefield, Massachusetts, built about 1764 and still used as a residence. A carriage house on the lot is noncontributing.","why_significant":"It is the oldest of three Cowdry family homes on Prospect Street and reflects nearly 150 years of continuous family ownership, which may be unparalleled in Wakefield. The house retains its integrity and is considered significant under Criterion C at the local level. Its Georgian features and early construction details add to its architectural value.","narrative":"Built around 1764 at 71 Prospect Street in Wakefield, this 2½-story, five-bay Georgian house has a large central chimney and wood clapboard walls. The irregular spacing of its bays suggests it began as a three-quarter house, with two outer bays added later. Small windows with projecting frames and a narrow door surround with battered pilasters reflect Georgian design, though the thin proportions hint at the coming Federal style. Surviving details include batten doors, strap and leather hinges, dry-laid rubble stone foundations and one clam shell plaster ceiling. The site is tied to William Cowdry, an early Reading settler, whose homestead is said to have stood here. Nathaniel Cowdry lived in the house in 1765, and the family occupied it until 1866, keeping some farmland and an adjacent house until about 1900. It is the oldest of three surviving Cowdry homes on Prospect Street, and its long family continuity is a major reason for its recognition. Two additions on the north side and a noncontributing carriage house complete the property.","period_of_significance":null,"architect_builder":null,"architectural_style":"Georgian","criteria":["C"],"status_note":"Residential use; condition described as fair, with two additions on the north side.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:13:00.897744-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/20/7908/63790820/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_MA/89000738.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/89000738/0574e0ea0b-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/89000738/0574e0ea0b-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY 3.0","author":"John Phelan","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Nathaniel_Cowdry_House,_Wakefield_MA.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">John Phelan</a>, <a href=\"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0\" rel=\"license noopener\">CC BY 3.0</a>, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Nathaniel_Cowdry_House,_Wakefield_MA.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/63790820","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nathaniel_Cowdry_House","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q6969553"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/massachusetts/middlesex-county/cowdry-nathaniel-house-89000738/"}