{"nrhp_refnum":"90000260","name":"Lake, Stanley, House","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"95 River Rd.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Topsfield","county":"Essex County","state":"MA","lat":42.63386201700007,"lon":-70.96243556099995,"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 farmhouse at 95 River Road in Topsfield, Essex County, Massachusetts, begun around 1680-1693 and enlarged in stages through 1752, with a pre-1718 barn on the same property.","why_significant":"The house is argued to be significant under Criterion C for its phased First Period construction, which shows how such houses grew from a single cell to a larger plan. It retains original shadow-molded sheathing, a rare surviving pendant in an enclosed overhang, and a conservative 1752 addition. The pre-1718 barn is one of fewer than half a dozen extant First Period barns and survives in place with the house.","narrative":"Set on open fields above the Ipswich River at 95 River Road in Topsfield, this farmhouse began as a single-cell dwelling built by Mathew Stanley between about 1680 and 1693. A lean-to was added to the east end before 1710, then raised to a full two stories around 1710 with an end overhang, and a further room and chimney bay were added in 1752. The house keeps original shadow-molded sheathing, chamfered summer beams, and one of only two known pendants still in place in a First Period house. The 1752 addition shows the framing traditions of the late 17th century persisting into the middle of the 18th. A barn built before 1718 still stands beside the house, one of fewer than half a dozen surviving First Period barns. Together the buildings are among five known pre-1730 Massachusetts farmsteads where both house and barn remain in their original relationship. Eleazer Lake bought the property in 1718.","period_of_significance":null,"architect_builder":"Mathew Stanley built the original house; architect unknown","architectural_style":"First Period, with Second Period exterior finishes","criteria":["C"],"status_note":"Condition listed as good; present use is residence.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:13:04.781767-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/64/7900/63790064/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_MA/90000260.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/90000260/1cbbfcda7f-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/90000260/1cbbfcda7f-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY 3.0","author":"John Phelan","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Stanley_Lake_House,_Topsfield_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:Stanley_Lake_House,_Topsfield_MA.jpg"},"district":{"nrhp_refnum":"05000465","name":"River Road-Cross Street Historic District","url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/districts/massachusetts/river-road-cross-street-historic-district-05000465/"},"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/63790064","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stanley_Lake_House","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q7599738"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/massachusetts/essex-county/lake-stanley-house-90000260/"}