{"nrhp_refnum":"90000214","name":"Davis-Freeman House","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"302 Essex St.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Gloucester","county":"Essex County","state":"MA","lat":42.610740030000045,"lon":-70.70837079699999,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1990-03-09","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Architecture"],"significance_levels":["state"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A two-and-one-half-story, five-bay plank frame house at 302 Essex Street (Essex Avenue) in Gloucester, Massachusetts, built about 1709-1712 at the head of the Little River.","why_significant":"The nomination argues the house meets criterion C for its distinctive plank frame construction and finely crafted decorated frame, including rare surviving molded post heads below the overhang. It also has transitional First to Second Period trim in the stair lobby. The house is further noted as an example of early 20th-century restoration practice.","narrative":"Built between about 1709 and 1712 beside the Little River in Gloucester, this two-and-one-half-story clapboarded house is a rare example of plank frame construction in northern Essex County. Davis family members ran a saw mill nearby, and the availability of sawn planks may have influenced the choice of frame. The exposed braces on the chamber walls, hewn overhangs and six molded post heads below the overhang show careful craftsmanship. Inside, a squat turned newel post, a deeply molded handrail and door frames shaped from the edges of sheathing boards mark the shift from First Period to Second Period styles. The house served as a tavern for most of the 18th century. From about 1860 to 1929 it belonged to Robin Freeman, who had escaped slavery in South Carolina, and his descendants. In the 1930s antique dealers restored it as the Stage Coach Inn, adding leaded casement windows. Since 1981 it has housed a shelter for the homeless.","period_of_significance":null,"architect_builder":null,"architectural_style":"First Period","criteria":["C"],"status_note":"Condition described as good; in use since 1981 as a shelter for the homeless called Wellspring.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:13:04.249433-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/94/7899/63789994/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_MA/90000214.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/90000214/40a52b28ef-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/90000214/40a52b28ef-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 3.0","author":"Magicpiano","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:GloucesterMA_DavisFreemanHouse.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Magicpiano</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:GloucesterMA_DavisFreemanHouse.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/63789994","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Davis-Freeman_House","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q5241816"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/massachusetts/essex-county/davis-freeman-house-90000214/"}