Saunders-Paine House
Why it's listed
Built around 1830 in Wellfleet on Cape Cod, this 1 1/2-story house follows the full Cape plan: a gable roof, a five-bay facade with a center entrance, and rooms arranged around a central chimney. Two front rooms flank the entrance hall, and a keeping room with a large cooking fireplace and beehive oven sits at the rear. The western front room has hand-planed woodwork, high paneled wainscoting and a pilastered mantel. Alterations have been modest, mostly a kitchen and bathroom added sympathetically. The earliest known owner, George B. Saunders, was a partner in a wharf and store on Blackfish Creek and married into the Paine family, early settlers of Paine Hollow. Later occupants included Sulo Thompson, a boat carpenter from the Finnish community. The property was recognized for its architectural integrity as a representative early 19th century Cape Cod house. The lot also has high potential for prehistoric and historic archaeological finds.
Significance in brief: The nomination argues the house is an excellent example of an early 19th century full Cape Cod house (Criterion C). It has changed little and keeps much of its original paneling and woodwork. Its archaeological potential is also discussed, along with its ties to the Saunders and Paine families of Paine Hollow.
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 98000474, listed May 20, 1998. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | 260 Paine Hollow Rd., Wellfleet |
|---|---|
| County | Barnstable County |
| Listed | May 20, 1998 |
| Reference number | 98000474 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | c. 1830 |
| Architectural style | Early 19th Century; Other: Cape Cod |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Used as a single dwelling with a secondary structure; the barn was converted to a summer cottage in 1982 and the house is rented out. |
| Acreage | 0.7 |
| Coordinates | 41.91287, -70.00895 (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 98000474.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q7427439
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.