Hart House
Why it's listed
Located at 172 Chestnut Street in Lynnfield, this house is a late First Period dwelling dating from roughly 1695 to 1720. It has three bays, two and a half stories, a central chimney and plank frame construction, with a rear lean-to added early in the 18th century. Although a house had been documented on the site since the 1670s, the present building was probably erected by John Hiram Perkins, who owned the land from 1694 to 1719. John Hart, a tanner from Danvers, bought it in 1838, and his family kept it until 1945. Despite termite damage and extensive restoration, the main rooms retain flat-chamfered summers, girts and posts, butt-cog joists and a restored fireplace with a beehive oven. Paired transverse summer beams, a feature common in nearby Salem, mark an unusual local framing variant. The house was valued for its surviving early construction and for what it can reveal about early framing methods and the possible role of a local sawmill.
Significance in brief: The house keeps its integrity of location, design, materials and workmanship in late First Period frame and plank construction, which supports eligibility under Criterion C. Its paired transverse summer beams are an unusual local framing variant centered in Salem. Further study of such buildings could yield information about early framing techniques, supporting Criterion D. The plank frame may be linked to a local sawmill.
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 90000239, listed March 9, 1990. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | 172 Chestnut St., Lynnfield |
|---|---|
| County | Essex County |
| Listed | March 9, 1990 |
| Reference number | 90000239 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Architect / builder | Probably built by John Hiram Perkins, owner 1694-1719; no architect |
| Architectural style | First Period |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Historic - Non-Aboriginal, Architecture |
| Level of significance | State |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Condition described as good; restored with new clapboards, wood-shingled roof and casement windows; used as a residence. |
| Acreage | 1 |
| Coordinates | 42.54061, -71.06241 (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 90000239.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q5674176
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.