Haverhill Historical Society Historic District
Also known as: Buttonwoods; Saltonstall-Duncan Homestead
Why it's listed
Perched on a rise above Water Street and the Merrimack River in Haverhill, this small district preserves part of a farm once held by the Saltonstall and Duncan families for more than 250 years. The largest building is the Duncan House, also called Buttonwoods, a two-story Federal double house traditionally dated to 1814, with brick end walls, a fanlighted entry and a Shingle style rear ell added in the 1880s. Nearby stand a gambrel-roofed house that began in the early 18th century and a mid-19th-century shoe shop moved to the site in 1957. The farm was subdivided in the late 19th century, leaving the house lot. In 1903 the Duncans donated the property to the Haverhill Historical Society, which added exhibition halls in the twentieth century, including Ayer-Elliott Hall and Tenney Hall. The district counts twenty contributing resources and four noncontributing ones, and it continues to serve as a museum.
Significance in brief: The district is a remnant of a farm held by the Saltonstall and Duncan families for over 250 years, and it preserves a Federal-style double house and early buildings tied to the area's colonial and shoe-making history. It has been the Haverhill Historical Society's museum site since the Duncans donated it in 1903. The full statement of significance is truncated in the text, so the specific criteria and period are not visible.
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 05000560, listed June 8, 2005. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | 240 Water St., Haverhill |
|---|---|
| County | Essex County |
| Listed | June 8, 2005 |
| Reference number | 05000560 |
| Resource type | District |
| Architectural style | Colonial, Federal, Shingle, Colonial Revival |
| Areas of significance | Architecture, Community Planning and Development, Education, Social History |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | In use as a museum by the Haverhill Historical Society, which has used the buildings for its collections since 1903. |
| Acreage | 1.5 |
| Coordinates | 42.77270, -71.06646 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
This is a historic district. Buildings within its boundary are either contributing (they add to the district's significance) or non-contributing. Owners of contributing income-producing buildings can claim the 20% federal rehabilitation tax credit; homeowners should look at state credits. National Register districts impose no design review by themselves; a local historic district ordinance, if one exists, does (the difference explained).
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 05000560.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q5683793
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.