Morse, Henry, House
Why it's listed
This Queen Anne house at 32 Cedar Street in Taunton was built around 1882 as the residence of Henry Morse. The land came from the large estate of his father, Lovett Morse, which was divided after the elder Morse died in 1880. The house is nearly rectangular, with central and side bay projections under a pyramidal hipped roof. A central bay pavilion carries applied, Tudor-derived trusswork and triple small-paned windows, and the front porch has half timbering on its pediment and turned posts. Windows are mostly two-over-two and one-over-one, grouped in fours within the bays. The building is clapboard-sided, has not been altered or moved, and has no outbuildings. Its plan is nearly identical to a house on West Brittania Street. It was listed as one of the most elaborately detailed Queen Anne buildings in Taunton and as an example of how large estates in this northern residential area were gradually subdivided. The nominated boundaries follow the current lot lines.
Significance in brief: The nomination presents it as one of the most exuberant and elaborately detailed Queen Anne houses in Taunton, with Tudor-derived details, and in excellent condition. It also illustrates the late 19th and early 20th century subdivision of large estates by speculators in this part of the city. It is argued to meet criterion C.
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 84002183, listed July 5, 1984. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | 32 Cedar St., Taunton |
|---|---|
| County | Bristol County |
| Listed | July 5, 1984 |
| Reference number | 84002183 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Architectural style | Queen Anne |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Described as being in excellent condition and unaltered; present use is residence. |
| Acreage | 0.6 |
| Coordinates | 41.90385, -71.09011 (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 84002183.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q5726059
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.