Foley, Michael, Cottage
Why it's listed
Built around 1855 at 14 Emerson Street in Stoneham, this tiny two-story cottage is a surviving example of the town's modest workers' housing. It has a side-hall plan and faces the street with its gable end. The house rests on a granite foundation, is covered in clapboards, and has a pitched roof, with simple window frames holding six-over-six sash. Michael Foley, an Irish shoemaker, lived here in the 1870s, and other shoemakers followed in later years. The house stands one block from the Tidd Tannery, in a neighborhood of similar one-and-a-half or two-story, gable-roofed houses with few decorative details, though the neighboring examples are less well preserved. The cottage was listed because it retains its location, design, setting, materials and workmanship, and because it illustrates the typical shoemaker's home associated with Stoneham's Irish community. The form records no major alterations and no move.
Significance in brief: The nomination presents it as a well preserved example of a typical shoemaker's house, tied to Stoneham's Irish population. It was the home of Irish shoemaker Michael Foley in the 1870s and of other shoemakers later. Its location near the Tidd Tannery and its modest form make it representative of local workers' housing.
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 84002614, listed April 13, 1984. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | 14 Emerson St., Stoneham |
|---|---|
| County | Middlesex County |
| Listed | April 13, 1984 |
| Reference number | 84002614 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Architectural style | none |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Industry |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Present use is residential; the form describes the house as well preserved with no major alterations and not moved. |
| Acreage | 0.1 |
| Coordinates | 42.47965, -71.09829 (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 84002614.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q6830354
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.