{"nrhp_refnum":"90000056","name":"Buffington, Deacon John, House","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"262 Cedar Ave.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Swansea","county":"Bristol County","state":"MA","lat":41.74033566600008,"lon":-71.21767121999994,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1990-02-16","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Architecture"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A 2½-story, gabled, Georgian vernacular three-quarter house at 262 Cedar Avenue in Swansea, Massachusetts, built around 1790 by an unknown builder, with a rear ell added probably in the mid-19th century.","why_significant":"The nomination argues the house meets Criterion C at the local level as one of the best preserved and few intact examples of the three-quarter house form in Swansea. It also notes ties to the Buffington family, who were important in Swansea's development, and to Deacon John Buffington and the Miller family.","narrative":"Built around 1790 on Cedar Avenue in Swansea, this gabled, 2½-story house follows the three-quarter plan, with a four-bay facade and the entry and brick chimney in the third bay. Its Georgian vernacular design is plain, showing only thin cornerboards, slightly articulated first-floor window heads and a simple board door surround. A two-story rear ell, probably from the mid-19th century, extends to the north. The house is considered significant as one of the best preserved examples of this form in Swansea. Its earliest documented owner, John Buffington, was deacon of the Christian Church at Swansea Center. His daughter married Elder William Miller, the church pastor, and at least three generations of Millers lived here, farming and fishing. The Buffington family, descended from Thomas Bovanton, who emigrated from Wales about 1671, helped found the first Friends Meeting in Swansea in 1701 and built several homesteads near Cedar Avenue.","period_of_significance":null,"architect_builder":null,"architectural_style":"Georgian vernacular","criteria":["C"],"status_note":"Described as in good condition, unmoved, and still used as a residence.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:13:03.847303-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/45/7895/63789545/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_MA/90000056.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/90000056/37ca7edf15-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/90000056/37ca7edf15-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 3.0","author":"John Phelan","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Deacon_John_Buffington_House,_Swansea_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:Deacon_John_Buffington_House,_Swansea_MA.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/63789545","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deacon_John_Buffington_House","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q5245025"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/massachusetts/bristol-county/buffington-deacon-john-house-90000056/"}