Faulkner Homestead
Why it's listed
Faulkner Homestead sits on a knoll on High Street in Acton, Massachusetts. Its main section is a two-storey frame house with clapboard siding, built in 1707 around a central chimney with four rooms. A north ell was added in 1774 and may be the remains of a house built in 1738 and moved to the site; an eastern ell and sheds followed about 1840. Ephraim Jones, a clothier who ran a fulling mill on Great Brook and did much of his cloth work at home, built the house. It was the largest in the new community and was apparently planned as a meeting place, with heavy framing in the Hall suggesting use as a garrison house. Ammi Ruhamah Faulkner bought it in 1742, and his descendants lived there for about two hundred years. His son Francis Faulkner resigned a royal militia commission in 1775, led local militia to the Concord Fight, served as town clerk, and held court in the old garrison room after 1779.
Significance in brief: The house was built for Ephraim Jones, the man most responsible for developing the part of Concord that became Acton in 1735. It served as a central meeting place and garrison house. Francis Faulkner, a later occupant, was a Revolutionary militia leader, town clerk and delegate to the state constitutional convention, and the garrison room became Acton's courthouse in 1779.
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 71000080, listed December 16, 1971. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | High St., Acton |
|---|---|
| County | Middlesex County |
| Listed | December 16, 1971 |
| Reference number | 71000080 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 18th Century (specific date 1707) |
| Areas of significance | Military, Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Listed in good condition, altered early, on its original site; in use as a museum and occupied. |
| Acreage | 0.9 |
| Coordinates | 42.45906, -71.45328 (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 71000080.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q5438127
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.