Larch Farm
Why it's listed
Larch Farm at 38 Larch Row in Wenham began about 1700 as a two-story, single-cell farmhouse measuring 40 by 20 feet, built for the yeoman Zaccheus Goldsmith after a town timber grant. Its plank frame, chamfered summer beams, and unusual curved braces mark it as a good example of a small Wenham group of First Period houses. Goldsmith's initials survive in early plaster. By 1729 a north addition had turned the house into a Georgian double-pile plan, a rare transitional form. A south wing added around 1780 to 1790 brought high-style Post-Colonial interior detail. Timothy Pickering, a U.S. Senator and Representative, bought the farm in 1806 and added English larches and lindens to the grounds, along with Federal doorway and arch details. A 1963 fire exposed parts of the original frame. Clapboards cover the house, which sits among farm fields behind a row of larch trees and remains a residence.
Significance in brief: The form argues the house retains integrity in its First Period plank frame, which shows distinctive construction and local variations typical of a Wenham group of houses (Criterion C). Its pre-1729 transformation from a First Period plan into a Georgian double-pile plan created an unusual house form. The later south wing and the association with Timothy Pickering add further interest.
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 90000266, listed March 9, 1990. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | 38 Larch Rd., Wenham |
|---|---|
| County | Essex County |
| Listed | March 9, 1990 |
| Reference number | 90000266 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Architectural style | First Period |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Architecture |
| Level of significance | State |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Condition is listed as good; the house is in present residential use. |
| Acreage | 8.6 |
| Coordinates | 42.60222, -70.87867 (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 90000266.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q6488756
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.