Claflin-Richards House
Also known as: See Also:Wenham Historic District
Why it's listed
Located at 132 Main Street in the center of Wenham, this house dates to 1661, when Robert MacClaflin was granted the land. In 1673 the town added rooms to make a four-room house for its new minister, Reverend Joseph Gerrish. A 1925 salt-box addition was built on the rear. Inside, the 1661 room has been restored with exposed framing, an opened fireplace and ogee corner braces, a type found in only three Wenham houses and nowhere else in New England. Later owners included a schoolmaster, a postmaster, a physician and the Richards family, whose daughter Elizabeth Richards Horton helped found the Women's Educational and Industrial Union in Boston. The Richards family held the house until 1921, and it became the property of the Wenham Historical Association and Museum in 1952. It now forms part of a museum, library and meeting hall complex that includes two c. 1850 shoe shops, and it is described as continuously occupied since at least 1661.
Significance in brief: The nomination presents it as the oldest house on Main Street and perhaps the oldest in Wenham, continuously occupied since at least 1661. It was home to ministers, schoolmasters, doctors and civic and military leaders, and may have been the town's first school building. It is also described as a fine, largely restored 17th century dwelling with rare ogee corner braces.
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 73000853, listed April 3, 1973. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | 132 Main St., Wenham |
|---|---|
| County | Essex County |
| Listed | April 3, 1973 |
| Reference number | 73000853 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 17th and 18th centuries (specific dates 1661, 1673, 1840, 1921) |
| Architectural style | 17th century dwelling house (center chimney, with 1925 salt-box addition) |
| Areas of significance | Commerce, Military, Literature, Education, Politics/Government, Architecture, Religion, Social History |
| Level of significance | State, Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Excellent condition, occupied, and in use as a museum; owned by the Wenham Historical Association and Museum Inc. since 1952, with about 8,000 visitors a year. |
| Acreage | 0.5 |
| Within district | Wenham Historic District |
| Coordinates | 42.60398, -70.88728 (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 73000853.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q5125030
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.