{"nrhp_refnum":"90001805","name":"Purchase-Ferre House","other_names":["Jonathan Purchase House"],"category":"building","location":{"address":"1289 Main St.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Agawam","county":"Hampden County","state":"MA","lat":42.04965340100006,"lon":-72.61565542977402,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1990-11-29","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Agriculture","Architecture"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A two-story, five-bay, timber-frame Colonial/Georgian farmhouse at 1289 Main Street in Agawam, Hampden County, Massachusetts, raised on May 19, 1764 by farmer Jonathan Purchase, with associated outbuildings including a shop, carriage shed and granary.","why_significant":"The nomination argues the house is a well-preserved mid-18th century Connecticut Valley farmhouse that kept a high degree of integrity, having stayed in the Ferre family since 1799 with no substantial alteration. It is also a rare survivor of Agawam's few full-scale Colonial-period houses and reflects the town's agricultural past. It was listed under Criteria A and C at the local level.","narrative":"Built in 1764 by farmer Jonathan Purchase, this two-story, five-bay farmhouse on Main Street in Agawam represents the substantial timber-frame homes of the Connecticut River Valley in the mid-18th century. A large central chimney rises from a side-gabled roof, and the interior retains panelled fireplace walls, cased summer beams, a shell cupboard, wide pine floors and original latches. Surviving carved double-leaf doors now cover the cellar hatchway. Moses Ferre acquired the property around 1798-1800, and it stayed in the Ferre family for generations. Diaries and letters document changes to the house and the farm's shifting crops, including tobacco, broom corn and silkworms. A shop used for wheel- and harness-making and a granary also survive. Few 18th-century full-scale houses remain in Agawam, and this one is notable for its integrity and its link to the town's agricultural history. Archaeological potential is also noted for lost outbuildings and a barn that burned in 1914.","period_of_significance":"1764-1914","architect_builder":"Jonathan Purchase","architectural_style":"Colonial/Georgian","criteria":["A","C"],"status_note":"Remains a single-dwelling residence with a secondary structure; described as remarkably intact, with interior woodwork largely unaltered.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:13:04.35607-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/55/7951/63795155/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_MA/90001805.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/90001805/33ad5e72b4-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/90001805/33ad5e72b4-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 3.0","author":"TM01001","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Ferrer_Purchase_House_-_Agawam,_MA.JPG\" rel=\"noopener\">TM01001</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:Ferrer_Purchase_House_-_Agawam,_MA.JPG"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/63795155","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Purchase-Ferre_House","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q7260923"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/massachusetts/hampden-county/purchase-ferre-house-90001805/"}