Woodberry-Quarrels House
Why it's listed
Built around 1690 at 180 Bridge Street in Hamilton, this clapboarded house began as a single-cell dwelling and was enlarged during the First Period with a second cell. It is seven bays long and two and a half stories high, with a one-story entrance porch and two rear chimneys. Later additions to the east, west and rear were made at unknown dates, and a two-story living room was created around 1980. Inside, the original room has a large summer beam with wide chamfers and lamb's tongue stops, and the exposed end-wall framing shows plank-frame construction, a method common among a group of First Period houses in northern Essex County. The house was updated in the Federal period, probably losing its central chimney, yet it kept its First Period floor plan. Federal trim survives around the rear fireplaces and the entry stair. A mid-19th-century barn and the meadow and wetland setting add to the property's historic character.
Significance in brief: The nomination argues the house retains integrity in its First Period plank frame, which represents a group of First Period houses in northern Essex County. The addition of a second cell within the First Period shows the typical evolutionary growth of single-cell houses. Its First Period floor plan survived Federal remodeling, a conservative survival of earlier planning.
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 90000224, listed March 9, 1990. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | 180 Bridge St., Hamilton |
|---|---|
| County | Essex County |
| Listed | March 9, 1990 |
| Reference number | 90000224 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Architectural style | First Period core with Second Period vernacular exterior |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Architecture |
| Level of significance | State |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Condition described as good; in present use as a residence. |
| Acreage | 4.5 |
| Coordinates | 42.61547, -70.84457 (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 90000224.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q14716048
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.