Eames, Philip, House
Why it's listed
Built in 1843 on Stone House Road in Washington, Massachusetts, this two-and-a-half-story house is the town's only stone dwelling. Its walls are quarried, irregularly cut granite, said to have come from Summit Rock, the point where the Western Railroad was blasted through a half-mile cut 55 feet deep. The plan is a five-bay, central-entrance, double-pile form similar to other local houses, but the stone construction and fine detailing set it apart. The entry has an elliptical fan and full-length sidelights within a keyed arch and four tapered granite pilasters. Granite blocks also form the enclosed pediments at each gable end, and the 6/6 windows have granite lintels and sills. Philip Eames owned one of several sawmills in the 1850s, during the town's brief prosperity after the railroad arrived. In the early twentieth century a later owner, an avid gardener, added a greenhouse. The house remains in excellent condition and largely unaltered, with three early twentieth-century outbuildings.
Significance in brief: It is Washington's only stone house and is described as the town's most imposing and best-preserved mid-19th-century residence. It shows finely articulated late Federal and early Greek Revival detailing and is unusually intact. It is also tied to the Western Railroad, whose rock cut supplied the granite.
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 86002140, listed September 12, 1986. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | Stone House Rd., Washington |
|---|---|
| County | Berkshire County |
| Listed | September 12, 1986 |
| Reference number | 86002140 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Architect / builder | Unknown |
| Architectural style | Federal (late Federal/early Greek Revival detailing) |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Condition is described as excellent, with no major alterations; it is in present use as a residence. |
| Acreage | 1 |
| Coordinates | 42.38056, -73.11873 (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 86002140.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q7183495
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.