Buck, Ephraim, House
Why it's listed
Built around 1704 according to deeds, this clapboard house at 216 Wildwood Street in Wilmington, Massachusetts, is a five-bay, central-chimney dwelling that is now two rooms deep, with a Beverly jog at both corners. It began as a one-room-deep house, possibly built in two phases, and a rear range under a completely new roof was added later in the 18th century, along with a second chimney. The interior was remodeled with raised panels and the frame was boxed in, hiding most early fabric. Investigation of a first-floor summer beam revealed a flat chamfer beneath the boxing, and the 17.5-foot-square rooms on either side of the chimney bay also point to First Period construction. The house was listed because it may yield information about early 18th-century framing in this part of Middlesex County, where few buildings of the era have survived. It remains a residence.
Significance in brief: The house is argued to qualify under Criterion D as part of a thematic group of First Period buildings. Although little original framing is visible, a flat-chamfered summer beam and the room proportions support the early date. It is likely to yield information about early 18th-century framing in this part of Middlesex County, where few buildings from the period survive.
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 90000189, listed March 9, 1990. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | 216 Wildwood St., Wilmington |
|---|---|
| County | Middlesex County |
| Listed | March 9, 1990 |
| Reference number | 90000189 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Architectural style | First Period |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Historic - Non-Aboriginal |
| Level of significance | State |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Condition is listed as good; the building is in residential use and has not been moved. |
| Acreage | 0.9 |
| Within district | Buck's Corner Historic District |
| Coordinates | 42.54717, -71.15104 (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 90000189.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q5382248
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.