Bancroft, Samuel, House
Why it's listed
This house at 232 West Street in Reading, Massachusetts, dates to about 1748 and is a symmetrical, shingled dwelling in a vernacular Georgian form, with small second-floor windows that touch the plate. Samuel Bancroft bought Henry Merrow's farm that year and probably built the house nearer West Street, which had become the main thoroughfare. Local researchers suspect that part of Merrow's earlier dwelling, possibly from the mid-1600s, survives inside. Bancroft was a deacon, justice of the peace, militia captain, selectman and legislator. In 1798 Ephraim Weston, a major shoe manufacturer who wholesaled shoes made by neighbors at home, bought the property. His son and later Clifford Weston, also in the shoe trade, held it. The house is listed for its place in the Dragon Corner neighborhood, its link to Weston, and its possible early fabric. Later additions include a bay window, porch, portico and rear lean-to.
Significance in brief: The nomination cites its role in the development of the Dragon Corner node along West Street, and its connection with early shoe manufacturer Ephraim Weston. It may also contain remnants of a mid-17th-century house. It retains integrity of location, general design and setting.
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 84002471, listed July 19, 1984. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | 232 West St., Reading |
|---|---|
| County | Middlesex County |
| Listed | July 19, 1984 |
| Reference number | 84002471 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Architect / builder | Samuel Bancroft (probable builder); architect n/a |
| Architectural style | Vernacular Georgian |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Architecture, Social History |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Altered over time with a bay window on the east, a porch and portico on the south, a lean-to addition on the north, and a removed chimney. Oriented south and screened from the road by hedges. |
| Acreage | 0.5 |
| Coordinates | 42.51884, -71.12049 (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 84002471.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q7410864
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.