Harrington, Samuel, House
Why it's listed
Set at an angle to a sweeping curve of South Street in Waltham and shaded by old trees, this farmhouse dates to the late 1730s. It is a five-bay, center-entrance Georgian building with a substantial brick chimney, feather-edged clapboards, a narrow architrave around the windows, and cornice returns on the end gables. A lean-to from the late 1700s or early 1800s, a side ell and an attached stable show how the house grew over time. The land came to the Harrington family in 1684, and the house was probably built by or for Captain Samuel Harrington, a gentleman farmer and selectman. Descendants owned it for nearly 250 years. Around 1803-1807 it apparently operated as an inn, well placed on a road leading to the Great Road, the main highway west from Boston. It is one of the few Waltham buildings tied to the town's stagecoach days, and a rare local example of mid-18th century Georgian farmhouse design.
Significance in brief: The house is a relatively rare Waltham example of a mid-18th century Georgian farmhouse. Its lean-to ell and attached stable show how a farmhouse changed over time. It was owned by Harrington descendants for nearly 250 years and apparently served as an inn around 1803-1807, linking it to Waltham's pre-railroad stagecoach era.
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 89001508, listed September 28, 1989. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | 475 South St., Waltham |
|---|---|
| County | Middlesex County |
| Listed | September 28, 1989 |
| Reference number | 89001508 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Architect / builder | Architect unknown; probably built by Captain Samuel Harrington |
| Architectural style | Georgian |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Community Planning and Development, Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Listed in good condition and in use as a private residence. |
| Acreage | 0.6 |
| Coordinates | 42.36310, -71.25914 (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 89001508.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q7411633
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.