Hartshorn, Timothy, House
Why it's listed
Set on 8.1 acres at 379 Haverhill Street in Reading, this farmhouse is thought to have been built in 1787 by Timothy Hartshorn, whose family was among the town's first settlers. The farm was established on the site in the early 18th century by Abraham Roberts. Hartshorn worked as a farmer and shoemaker, a pairing common among Reading men for the next century, and he also owned a share in a sawmill on the Ipswich River. The house is five bays long and two and a half stories high, with a central chimney, narrow windows set close to the plate, and a central doorway framed by fluted pilasters with a six-panel door. A later porch hides the entablature. Timothy W. Hartshorn, who lived here until 1870, was a photographer who ran a daguerreotype saloon on the Common. The property stayed in the family for almost a century. It was listed for its farm and shoemaking heritage, its Hartshorn family ties, and its well-preserved vernacular Georgian-Federal design.
Significance in brief: The nomination cites its role as an early farm and shoemaking homestead, its link to the locally important Hartshorn family, and its largely unaltered vernacular Georgian-Federal architecture. It argues the house keeps integrity of location, design, setting, materials, workmanship and feeling.
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 84002633, listed July 19, 1984. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | 379 Haverhill St., Reading |
|---|---|
| County | Middlesex County |
| Listed | July 19, 1984 |
| Reference number | 84002633 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Architect / builder | Timothy Hartshorn (thought to have built the house in 1787) |
| Architectural style | Vernacular Federal (described as Reading's vernacular version of the Georgian-Federal style) |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Industry, Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Altered by a late 19th-century front porch, a one-story east extension, a side entry and a two-story north ell; a garage stands on the property. The house has not been moved. |
| Acreage | 8.1 |
| Coordinates | 42.54319, -71.08904 (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 84002633.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q7807239
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.