Morse, Moses, House
Why it's listed
Dating to 1762, this large 2½-story farmhouse on Pelham Street sits in the rural northwest corner of Methuen. Built as a farmstead and still a private home, it combines vernacular construction with Georgian elements. The clapboard-clad building rests on a granite foundation and has a five-bay facade, a massive central chimney and an 18th-century ell that survive from the original period. Later changes include 2/2 windows and an Italianate porch hood with pendant brackets over the sidelit central entry, added in the late 19th century. The off-center chimney may indicate that the house grew from three bays to five. The house is considered significant as an example of 18th-century farm architecture in Methuen, where such dwellings were built by farmers like Moses Morse who sold produce to markets in Salem and Newburyport, and later Lowell and Lawrence. Its architectural character and integrity of location, design, setting, materials and workmanship support its listing.
Significance in brief: The house is presented as an early farmstead representing 18th-century rural architecture in Methuen. It was built for farmers like Moses Morse who sold produce to markets in Salem and Newburyport, and later Lowell and Lawrence. It retains integrity of location, design, setting, materials and workmanship and is argued to meet criterion C.
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 84002404, listed January 20, 1984. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | 311 Pelham St., Methuen |
|---|---|
| County | Essex County |
| Listed | January 20, 1984 |
| Reference number | 84002404 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Architectural style | Vernacular (with Georgian elements) |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Present use is a private residence, the same as its original use. Alterations include 2/2 sash and an entry hood added in the late 19th century. |
| Acreage | 0.7 |
| Coordinates | 42.72777, -71.23325 (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 84002404.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q6915889
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.