Martin Farm
Why it's listed
Martin Farm is a small gable-roofed cottage at 121 Martin Street in Rehoboth, dated by architectural detail to about 1750 with later work around 1780. It sits 40 feet from the road in a rural setting and is clapboard-sided. The house grew bit by bit as a working homestead. Unbarked timbers between the first story and attic, revealed during repairs after lightning damage, point to a mid-18th-century origin. Fireplaces were closed and much of the addition work was done around 1900 or earlier. A post-and-timber shed, now a garage, once operated as a store in the 19th century, and its chimney and plastered walls remain. The foundation of a barn blown down in the 1938 hurricane survives in excellent condition. The property has stayed in the Martin family since it was built, and family members are buried in a nearby plot. Earlier occupants ran a grist mill on Rocky Run through the 1800s. The house is valued as a good local example of a mid-18th-century cottage.
Significance in brief: The form calls it a good local example of a mid-18th-century cottage that has grown organically as a homestead, and says it meets criterion C. It has also stayed in the Martin family since it was built, and the family ran a grist mill and a store that served the community.
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 83000691, listed June 6, 1983. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | 121 Martin St., Rehoboth |
|---|---|
| County | Bristol County |
| Listed | June 6, 1983 |
| Reference number | 83000691 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Architectural style | Georgian - Federal |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Present use is residence; the east kitchen ell was added about forty years before the survey, and the former shed is now a garage. A barn was lost in the 1938 hurricane, and its foundation remains in excellent condition. |
| Acreage | 1 |
| Coordinates | 41.79779, -71.23674 (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 83000691.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q6775406
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.