Ahearn House and Summer House
Also known as: David Curran House
Why it's listed
Set on Pamet Point Road in Wellfleet, this property includes an early 19th-century three-quarter Cape house and a 19th-century summer house, both now within Cape Cod National Seashore. The house is a timber-framed, story-and-a-half building on a brick foundation with a wood-shingled pitched roof, a central chimney, and mostly 9/6 sash windows. Its Federalist-period doorway pilasters and mid-19th-century cornice reflect modest changes over time. The interior keeps its original plan of a central entrance flanked by two rooms, with a kitchen at the rear and bedrooms upstairs. The summer house, enlarged with a shed section in the mid-20th century and converted to a cottage, still preserves most of its original features. The property was nominated because it is the only three-quarter Cape among five 19th-century Cape Cod style houses identified in a Park Service survey, and one of the least altered. It also recalls the farming settlement of the outer Cape.
Significance in brief: The house is a largely intact 19th-century example of the Cape Cod house type and the only three-quarter Cape among five 19th-century Cape Cod style houses identified in a Park Service survey. It is also one of the least altered of those the Park Service owns. The house and summer house are reminders of the settlement that once dominated the Wellfleet countryside and of the outer Cape's cultural landscape.
Machine-generated summary. This summary was generated by a language model from the official nomination document and has not been reviewed line by line by an editor. It may contain errors. Check the source document before relying on any detail. Source: nomination document (PDF) · National Archives catalog entry. NRHP reference 84000575, listed November 21, 1984. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | Pamet Point Rd., Wellfleet |
|---|---|
| County | Barnstable County |
| Listed | November 21, 1984 |
| Reference number | 84000575 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1800-1899 |
| Architectural style | Cape Cod house (three-quarter Cape) |
| Areas of significance | Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Acreage | 6.3 |
| Coordinates | 41.95930, -70.04444 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
National Register listing is honorary for a privately owned home: it does not by itself restrict what an owner may do with their own money, and it does not require public access. Restrictions come from local landmark or historic-district ordinances, which are separate (how they differ).
Owner-occupied houses are not eligible for the 20% federal rehabilitation tax credit, which applies to income-producing buildings, but many states offer credits for homeowners. Listing also opens the door to preservation easements and to buying a plaque. Start with what listing means for homeowners, renovating a listed house and selling one.
General information, not legal or tax advice. Rules change; confirm with your State Historic Preservation Office or a qualified adviser.
Sources and further reading
- National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places database (snapshot May 2026), reference 84000575.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q4695053
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.