House at 136 Hampstead Street
Why it's listed
Built around 1840, this clapboard farmhouse at 136 Hampstead Street stands at a major intersection in the rural northeast corner of Methuen, Massachusetts. It is a broad-gabled Greek Revival dwelling with a five-bay main facade and a four-bay eastern facade, each with a well detailed central entry. The east facade keeps its glazed transom and narrow pilasters, and the house rests on a granite foundation beneath a triangular pediment and simple cornice. A gable-roofed clapboard barn remains on the property, and the south entrance porch has been enclosed. The house was listed for its architecture and for what it shows about local farming. Farms of this kind sent produce to markets in Lawrence and Lowell, and they show that agricultural land in Methuen was still being developed in the early to mid 19th century, just as the central industrial and commercial district began to grow. It remains a private residence.
Significance in brief: The nomination calls it an excellent, well preserved example of the broad-gabled Greek Revival house built in outlying agricultural parts of Methuen. Farms like this supplied produce to markets in Lawrence and Lowell and show that farms were still being developed while the town's central industrial and commercial area began to grow. It is judged to retain integrity of location, setting, design, materials and workmanship.
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 84002377, listed June 20, 1984. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | 136 Hampstead St., Methuen |
|---|---|
| County | Essex County |
| Listed | June 20, 1984 |
| Reference number | 84002377 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Architectural style | Greek Revival |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Present use is private residence, same as original use. The main (south) entrance porch has been enclosed. |
| Acreage | 12.7 |
| Coordinates | 42.77646, -71.17431 (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 84002377.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q5913935
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.