Harris Farm
Why it's listed
This small wood-frame house at 3 Manatang Trail in Marblehead dates to about 1720-1730, based on its style. The land was owned by the Harris family by 1667, and the family kept it into the late 19th century. The house is 1 1/2 stories high, three bays wide and two rooms deep. It began one room deep with an integral lean-to, and the roof was raised and rebuilt in the eighteenth century. Inside, an exposed quirk-beaded frame survives in the front rooms and lobby, including paired transverse summer beams in the south room. In the attic, original rafters show an early principal rafter and common purlin roof. Tie beams once carried the lean-to rafters, cantilevered six feet from the posts. The house was recognized for this rare late First Period framing, which reflects a regional Salem-area trait. Later changes include Federal trim, two mantelpieces, and 19th-century sheds converted to living space in the 1950s.
Significance in brief: The house is argued to be significant under Criterion C for its late First Period frame, which keeps integrity of location, design, materials and workmanship. Its three-bay plan is a rare survival of an atypical late First Period plan. Paired transverse summer beams illustrate a regional characteristic of the Salem area, and the six-foot cantilevered tie beam of the original lean-to shows an extreme form of integral lean-to framing.
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 90000241, listed March 9, 1990. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | 3 Manataug Trail, Marblehead |
|---|---|
| County | Essex County |
| Listed | March 9, 1990 |
| Reference number | 90000241 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Architectural style | First Period core, Second Period vernacular finishes; Federal vernacular window trim |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Architecture |
| Level of significance | State |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Condition listed as good; in use as a residence. |
| Acreage | 0.9 |
| Coordinates | 42.50764, -70.86878 (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 90000241.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q14715509
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.