Cowdry, Jonas, House
Why it's listed
Set back from Prospect Street on a raised lot behind a fieldstone wall, this Federal farmhouse in Wakefield, Massachusetts, dates to about 1833. It rises two and a half stories, is three bays wide and has a large central chimney. Its most notable feature is the south door surround, a finely proportioned entablature with sidelights of the kind favored by housewrights of the period. Wakefield has an unusually large number of three-quarter houses from the early nineteenth century, and this is a well-preserved example. The house is tied to the Cowdry family, early settlers of the territory then called Redding. Brothers Aaron and Jonas, sons of Nathaniel Cowdry, built this house and the one at 98 Prospect Street at nearly the same time. The family kept the property until about 1900, an unusually long continuity. The house is still a dwelling, in good condition, with two northern additions and three non-contributing outbuildings.
Significance in brief: The house is a well-preserved example of the many three-quarter Federal houses in Wakefield, and its south door surround is unusually fine. It also belonged to the Cowdry family, early settlers of the Redding area, who kept it for nearly a century. The nomination argues it meets Criterion C at the local level.
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 89000739, listed July 6, 1989. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | 61 Prospect St., Wakefield |
|---|---|
| County | Middlesex County |
| Listed | July 6, 1989 |
| Reference number | 89000739 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Architectural style | Federal |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Condition described as good; present use is a dwelling, with two additions on the north side and three non-contributing outbuildings. |
| Acreage | 1.5 |
| Coordinates | 42.50499, -71.08509 (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 89000739.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q6272049
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.