Gardner, Preserved, House
Why it's listed
Built around 1820 by Preserved Gardner, this Federal-style farmhouse at 90 Milford Road in Swansea is a 2½-story gabled house with a five-bay, center-entry facade and a double-pile plan with double interior chimneys. The recessed entry has sidelights and pilasters with Greek key motifs. Late 19th-century changes added a wrap porch with Doric columns, a rear ell and an east ell. A barn of about 1890 stands nearby. The farm passed to Preserved's son Ira, who sold the adjoining land that became Mount Hope Cemetery. Thomas D. Cove of Fall River later ran it as a gentleman's farm and used the house as a summer home. The town bought it after World War II for use as Veterans Memorial Park. The house reflects the Gardner family's rising prosperity after modest 18th-century beginnings on Gardner's Neck, and shows how Swansea farmhouses became summer residences.
Significance in brief: The form argues the house is a typical early 19th-century Swansea farmhouse that later became a summer home, meeting Criteria A and C at the local level. It is also tied to the locally prominent Gardner family. It illustrates the pattern of early farmhouses being used as summer homes during the late 19th and early 20th century boom in seasonal residential development.
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 90000061, listed February 16, 1990. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | 90 Milford Rd., Swansea |
|---|---|
| County | Bristol County |
| Listed | February 16, 1990 |
| Reference number | 90000061 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Architect / builder | Built by Preserved Gardner; architect unknown |
| Architectural style | Federal |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Community Planning and Development, Agriculture, Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Condition is described as good. The property is now owned by the Town of Swansea and used as the Veterans Benefits Department at Memorial Park. |
| Acreage | 2 |
| Coordinates | 41.75105, -71.19904 (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 90000061.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q7241060
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.