Sherman, William B., Farm
Why it's listed
This farmhouse at 1072 State Road in North Adams was built between about 1820 and 1830 in the Greek Revival style. It is five bays wide, with Doric corner pilasters, full pediments in each gable end and original six-over-six sash. Around 1870 to 1875 a large Italianate-style veranda was added, with four posts linked by broad arches and unusual filigree in the spandrels. William B. Sherman, born in Rhode Island in 1759, bought the farmland in 1813 and developed it as a dairy and sheep farm with his son Eber, who built a separate Greek Revival house nearby. The land was then part of Williamstown and joined North Adams in 1900. After Sherman died in 1846, the farm passed through several owners, and the Phelps family worked it into the twentieth century. Since World War II the surrounding land has been sold for housing, commercial use and the airport. The house is valued as one of the few surviving unaltered farmhouses in the city.
Significance in brief: The house is architecturally distinctive as a Greek Revival farmhouse with a later Italianate-style veranda with filigree spandrels. It is historically important as part of the William B. Sherman dairy farm and as one of very few surviving unaltered farmhouses in North Adams.
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 85003419, listed October 25, 1985. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | 1072 State Rd., North Adams |
|---|---|
| County | Berkshire County |
| Listed | October 25, 1985 |
| Reference number | 85003419 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Architectural style | Greek Revival |
| Areas of significance | Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Present use is residence; the house now sits on a lot of less than one acre after surrounding farmland was sold off. |
| Acreage | 0.9 |
| Coordinates | 42.70094, -73.17282 (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 85003419.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q14716036
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.