Knapp, Job, House
Why it's listed
Job Knapp House, at 81 Shores Street in Taunton, is an early 18th-century gambrel-roofed cottage. It is a story and a half tall and covered in wood shingles. Its features include very small window openings, a central wood plank door framed by narrow sidelights, close-cropped eaves and a rebuilt central chimney that breaks the roofline. The house has been altered, with shingles added and the doorway widened in the 20th century, but it has not been moved. It is still used as a residence. Its importance lies in its rarity: gambrel-roofed construction appears in only a small percentage of houses in Southeastern Massachusetts, and few gambrel cottages of this period survive in Taunton. A 1728 map of the town shows the house, which would make it one of the oldest standing structures in the city. It was listed for its architecture, with its design, setting, materials and workmanship largely intact.
Significance in brief: The nomination argues the house is an extremely rare example of gambrel-roofed construction, found in only a small percentage of Southeastern Massachusetts houses. It appears on a 1728 map, which would make it one of the oldest standing structures in the city. It retains the gambrel-roof cottage form, few examples of which survive in Taunton.
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 84002150, listed July 5, 1984. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | 81 Shores St., Taunton |
|---|---|
| County | Bristol County |
| Listed | July 5, 1984 |
| Reference number | 84002150 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Architectural style | Gambrel Colonial |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Community Planning and Development, Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Used as a residence; altered by added wood shingles, a widened doorway in the 20th century and a rebuilt central chimney. |
| Acreage | 0.7 |
| Coordinates | 41.90208, -71.11320 (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 84002150.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q6206671
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.