Peck-Bowen House
Why it's listed
Standing at the corner of Fairview Avenue and Pond Lily Avenue in Rehoboth, this small cottage dates from roughly 1770 to 1800 and combines Georgian and Federal features. It has five bays, a center chimney and clapboard walls, a form once common among the town's farmsteads. Inside, three fireplaces and their mantels are well preserved, with cupboards set into the plastered walls above each hearth, plus original beaded chair rails and mopboards. A rear ell and staircase were added in 1910, and the attic was reworked afterward, but the exterior proportions are otherwise unchanged. Little is known of its builder, though a member of the Peck family, who ran an iron forge and later mills on the nearby Palmer River, or the Wheeler family may have built it. Pond Lily Avenue once led to Peck's milling complex, and by 1871 the house belonged to Allen Bowen. It was listed for its value as a record of late 18th-century vernacular building in Rehoboth.
Significance in brief: The nomination argues it is a fine local example of the modest center-chimney cottages common in Rehoboth in the mid to late 18th century. Its exterior proportions are largely unaltered and its interior detail is well preserved, making it an important record of the town's vernacular architecture. It is listed under 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 83000700, listed June 6, 1983. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | 330 Fairview Ave., Rehoboth |
|---|---|
| County | Bristol County |
| Listed | June 6, 1983 |
| Reference number | 83000700 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Architectural style | Transitional Georgian-Federal |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Present use is a residence; a rear ell was added about 1910 and a garage dates from the early 20th century. |
| Acreage | 3.8 |
| Coordinates | 41.87226, -71.22777 (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 83000700.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q7158711
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.