Boardman, John, House
Why it's listed
This saltbox house at 6 Lawrence Road in Boxford was built around 1740 in Saugus, Massachusetts, near the 17th-century home of William Boardman, grandfather of John Boardman. It was moved to Boxford in 1956 and restored by Earl Newton with guidance from Abbott Lowell Cummings. A long one-story addition was built at the rear corner at that time, and the brick central chimney is a copy of the original. The house began as a double-cell, central-chimney building with a lobby entrance and no leanto, which was added about 1800. Inside, the east room has exposed framing, a flat-chamfered chimney girt, feather-edged sheathing and a fireplace with a beehive oven. The staircase is a late First Period closed-string design without balusters. The house is valued for late First Period framing and transitional decoration, for its link to the Boardman family, and for what its restoration revealed about the slow change from First to Second Period building in rural Massachusetts.
Significance in brief: The house keeps late First Period framing and transitional decoration, which qualifies it under Criterion C. It has a direct association with the Boardman family of Saugus. Its restoration under Abbott Lowell Cummings yielded information on the slow shift from First to Second Period architecture in rural Massachusetts, and it may yield more (Criterion D).
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 90000361, listed March 9, 1990. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | 6 Lawrence Rd., Boxford |
|---|---|
| County | Essex County |
| Listed | March 9, 1990 |
| Reference number | 90000361 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Architect / builder | Architect unknown; restored by Earl Newton with guidance from Abbott Lowell Cummings |
| Architectural style | First Period (transitional to Second Period) |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Historic - Non-Aboriginal, Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Condition described as good; in use as a residence. |
| Acreage | 2.2 |
| Coordinates | 42.66557, -71.02383 (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 90000361.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q6222315
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.