{"nrhp_refnum":"90000243","name":"Putnam, Deacon Edward, Jr., House","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"4 Gregory St.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Middleton","county":"Essex County","state":"MA","lat":42.59462612100003,"lon":-70.99216062499994,"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 First Period house at 4 Gregory Street in Middleton, Essex County, Massachusetts, begun about 1705 and enlarged about 1718, with a 19th-century barn attached. It sits on 2.63 acres of former farmland.","why_significant":"The house is argued to meet Criterion C for its plank frame, transverse first-story binding beams and restored chimney evidence. These embody uncommon patterns of First Period domestic construction. Its original plan is read as a single cell with an end leanto kitchen, and the form says it keeps its integrity despite modern additions.","narrative":"Located at 4 Gregory Street in Middleton, this house began about 1705 as a two-story, one-room-deep structure with a central chimney and a plank frame. It is believed to have been built by the father of Edward Putnam, Jr., a prominent deacon in the Salem Village church, who deeded land and houses to both his sons in 1718. A western addition, perhaps from about 1718, was also built in First Period fashion. The house is valued for its framing: transverse binding beams on the first floor, boxed tie beams above, chamfered posts, and a large kitchen fireplace with a smoke shelf. These features suggest the original house had an end leanto kitchen later replaced by the addition. A gabled porch was added about 1800, and a restoration around 1963 added a new leanto and altered the chimney top. A 19th-century barn is attached by an extension of the leanto. Despite these changes, the house retains its integrity and illustrates uncommon early construction patterns.","period_of_significance":null,"architect_builder":"Architect unknown; the earliest core is believed to have been built by the father of Edward Putnam, Jr.","architectural_style":"First Period","criteria":["C"],"status_note":"Recorded as in good condition and in use as a residence; restored about 1963.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:13:03.487758-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/12/7900/63790012/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_MA/90000243.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/90000243/e42402fe7d-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/90000243/e42402fe7d-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 4.0","author":"User:Magicpiano","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:MiddletonMA_DeaconEdwardPutnamJrHouse.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:MiddletonMA_DeaconEdwardPutnamJrHouse.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/63790012","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deacon_Edward_Putnam_Jr._House","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q5245022"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/massachusetts/essex-county/putnam-deacon-edward-jr-house-90000243/"}