{"nrhp_refnum":"90000182","name":"Brown-Stow House","other_names":["Ichabod Stow House"],"category":"building","location":{"address":"172 Harvard Rd.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Stow","county":"Middlesex County","state":"MA","lat":42.440143412000054,"lon":-71.53618734499997,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1990-03-09","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Historic - Non-Aboriginal","Architecture"],"significance_levels":["state"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A residential house at 172 Harvard Road in Stow, Massachusetts, begun as a single-cell, two-story frame house in the early 18th century (ca. 1699-1711) and later enlarged. It sits on about 8 acres of rural farmland.","why_significant":"The nomination argues the house preserves First Period framing evidence, including remnant diamond-shaped quarrels and original room proportions, that may yield information on Middlesex County building practices (Criterion D). It also meets Criterion C for longitudinal second-story summer beams, a fieldstone chimney, and a closely spaced principal-rafter roof without purlins, a transitional example of regional architecture.","narrative":"Set on the south side of Harvard Road in Stow, this house began as a single-cell, two-story frame building with a gabled roof and central chimney, probably in the early 18th century. The land was granted to Boaz Brown in 1699, and he died in 1711. Stephen Stow bought it in 1764, and it stayed in the Stow family into the twentieth century. The house later grew to a double-cell plan with a five-bay facade, then gained a rear leanto in the late 18th century, giving it a saltbox profile. A 19th-century ell and a 1950s ell followed. Little framing is exposed, but the house keeps longitudinal summer beams, a fieldstone chimney, and a principal-rafter roof without purlins. Remnant diamond-shaped quarrels and original room proportions point to a First Period frame. Second Period paneling and unusual tombstone-design overmantel panels add to its interest. Its listing rests on its architectural features and its potential to yield information on regional building practices.","period_of_significance":null,"architect_builder":null,"architectural_style":"First Period / Federal","criteria":["C","D"],"status_note":"Residential use; condition described as good.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:13:04.161714-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/7/7904/63790407/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_MA/90000182.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/90000182/83f719ab44-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/90000182/83f719ab44-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 4.0","author":"User:Magicpiano","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:StowMA_BrownStowHouse.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:StowMA_BrownStowHouse.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/63790407","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brown%E2%80%93Stow_House","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q4975984"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/massachusetts/middlesex-county/brown-stow-house-90000182/"}